How do you identify and reward the contributors of your team's success?

It is also important to open the possibility to failure or mistakes when you are defining success criteria. By doing so, the team understands your comfort as a leader with the learning process and the value of iterating and adjusting along the way. This will open the door to honesty and transparency about what is going well and what may not be going as expected ands need adjustment.

Be careful recognizing behaviors that go against your core values. If work/life balance is a value - don't recognize the all-nighter project. Those that have life outside of work that cannot allow for it, such as kids, will see that the company reward and success metrics may not be equitable, since the stakes exclude them.

Additionally metrics and reporting/progress should be shared regularly and as often as possible, specifically when working toward a number defined goal. In order to iterate and continue moving in the right direction, timely and clear reporting can really help (especially when certain criteria are NOT being met).

We use Workboard to set objectives that align with overall strategic growth initiatives and then determine what the key results can be and update the actual outcomes based on the expectations at the end of each quarter. Based on how we perform against these OKRs influences who is rewarded.

One of the key metric in defining the success criteria is the benefit realisation, be it qualitative or quantitative it’s important to define by when and how the benefits shall be realised as that defines the true success of a project/ initiative

I would also caution that success criteria needs to be very carefully considered. I've seen too many organizations that had good intentions behind decisions but ended up driving negative behavior, short term decision making and weaponization of values. Ideally criteria will be robust and include not only financial targets, but also behavioral expectations when working with the team and customers. Company, team, and individual should also be cascaded and linked not independent.

Although implied in these dimensions of success, it may be useful to clearly state how an individual team member contributions align and support the team success.

Identify Objectives and KPIs together as a team. Contribution leads to buy in and feeling of ownership. Recognize each contribution and achievement publicly and one on one.

I have a rule of thumb that you should celebrate teams publicly, and individuals privately. There are exceptions to the rule, but creating hierarchies of recognition may not be the best way to build a positive team culture.

One of the first things I do with a new direct report is ask them how they like to be shown appreciation so I can make that a priority when appropriate. I also like to use the phrase “I appreciate you” more often than just “thank you”. Something to also consider is individual and personalized holiday cards at the end of the year touching on specific contributions and successes that team members played a role in showing that you are noticing them and that they are having a positive impact.

Recognition and appreciation can be showed in different ways. Even just saying: Fabolous job! Well done! You did great! Thank you, you rock! I am sure it will be very motivating to someone else.

The biggest trap most leaders fall into, is not scheduling time to pause and do this at all. Rushing straight into the next task once the last one is successfully completed is easy but the process of reviewing and learning can be so much more rewarding for motivation and ongoing team effectiveness. Marginal gains and tiny improvements can make a huge cumulative impact over time.

This is a great professional development opportunity for the team. Give more junior members of the team a chance to design and facilitate the session, with leadership’s support, and encourage them the ask the questions that will help them advance their knowledge and understanding. Discuss what worked and what didn’t, and also what the team isn’t sure about - that’s a great area for future learning and growth.

I agree with @Veronica LaFemina. While formal training can be incredibly helpful, a lot of learning happens on the job. Pausing to reflect on what worked and what didn't is a great way to be intentional with on-the-job learning.

At my previous organization, when you participated on an organization-critical, cross-functional project, each individual was provided a small art piece with a plaque for that particular project. The art piece was something designed by a local artist. Nothing expensive but a special piece of art that you could be proud of and display.

In my experience, the milestone achievements are often the most important to recognise, to ensure momentum is maintained over a long period. Lots of small wins can be more meaningful if recognition is authentically shown, especially if you can recognise more team players who have supported the goal along the way.

Make sure to celebrate the little wins as they often are overshadowed by “busyness” or larger aspirations/goals. This is especially important in smaller companies or startups. This supports in motivating team members and maintaining a positive culture.

While the Dundies may not be for everyone, consider something similar like paper plate awards allowing everyone on the team to create a unique award for one of their peers to boost morale and team-bonding.

For my team, we give thank you/recognition coupons, each month there is a drawing for an item of value - the thank you is read aloud. The person giving the TY coupon gets an item of value too. So we reward team work, and at the end of the year, the TY coupons are gathered for a very big prize.

One of the things we do during every team meeting is put together a list of people who have helped our team succeed. We are a support team and can only succeed through cross-functional partnerships. We send thank you notes through a Kudo board that everyone at our company can see and are also sent to that person’s direct leader. That way, when performance reviews come around, their leaders can see the amazing work they have done.

For my team, we give thank you/recognition coupons, each month there is a drawing for an item of value - the thank you is read aloud. The person giving the TY coupon gets an item of value too. So we reward team work, and at the end of the year, the TY coupons are gathered for a very big prize.