Skip to main content

Gold Stars

I am pushing 40, but still get Gold Stars. This is amusing to me. I love them...this is even more amusing.

Let me clarify...I am using 'gold star' as any form of recognition not in monetary form.

I am also using this term literally. Within my sales group, actual gold stars are given to grown people. Again, this is amusing to the Nth degree. But...it's also affective and effective (yes, go look it up).

These stars are symbols of a culture that my team stepped into almost 10 years ago. That culture, while constantly evolving, still lives. The ethos that we attempt to live up to is one of excellence, teamwork, gratitude, and accountability. Half a dozen leaders have been a part of this team, and they all buy into this approach. It is a tide that rises all ships.

The stars are small, but important, physical manifestations of our approach. They symbolize the need to create goals and hold ourselves accountable to something more than just money.

Don't get me wrong..the money is good....great actually.

But those silly little stars carry a deep meaning, that can only be as much as you put into them....and for my team, it's a big deal.

Comments

janet said…
That's why Foursquare (and now Huffington Post, Hollr, and many many more) have utilized the Badge system. People want to have all their actions recognized and rewarded...even if it's with the crunk badge.
Unknown said…
so happy to see the gold star program lives on!! i have tried and tried to implement the same recognition program in my current role and people just laugh at me. it warms my heart to know you guys still carry on with the gold stars...you deserve every one of them!

Popular posts from this blog

Patron Saint of Salespeople

St. Lucia or St. Lucy is the Patron Saint of salespeople. Her story?? She stood strong in her faith and was persecuted because of it. She was hooked to a team of oxen, but could not be moved. She stood strong in her beliefs. Then she had her eyes cut out and was stabbed in the throat. Nice metaphor. In October, I missed my 'quota' for the first time this year. My 2010 personal goals allowed for this (plus one actually), but I was attempting to pitch the sales equivalent of a no-hitter. I missed. Even though I am still at roughly 150% YTD Even though I am guaranteed to go to President's Club (they've already listed it under 'taxable gift' on my last paystub). Even though I will almost assuredly be in the Top 10 nationwide..... Even though I have not been dragged away by a team of oxen, I still feel my eyes on a plate. But, I'm the one doing the gouging. There is no one as critical of me as me. Self-flagellation....works well with the Patron Saint/Catholic mot

Telecommoditization: Part 2 / Fungibility

Fungibility is a fun word. I look forward to beating several CIOs and IT Directors over the head with it. Fungibility seems to be the defining word for what makes a commodity. The nut-shell definition for fungibility is "the same regardless of who creates it." Every telecom provider has a multitude of differences, therefore they are not fungible. Since most people tend to LOVE to talk about the negative, let's focus there. Ask any IT professional about their telecom provider. They will generally grumble and whine (typically these people hate their lives) and tell you about EVERYTHING that is wrong with their telecom providers. Each story will have different issues and problems. Each will show the weaknesses of a given provider. Logically this shows that we (telco's) are all different and not fungible. Also if each provider has different weaknesses, we must have strengths. There is an old telecom mantra "Everybody sucks, we suck less." In future blogs I will

One-Quarter Cleansing Cream

In 1955, the now legendary Ogilvy and Mather advertising firm began their campaign with Dove. "One-quarter cleansing cream" is, to this day, a corporate tag-line for Dove. The company was profitable in its very first year, an extreme rarity in personal-care products. Ogilvy and Mather stress their ad campaign and the Dove tag-line they created as being responsible for such success. Dove's ubiquitous tagline was created when David Ogilvy, the dynamic mind behind Ogilvy and Mather asked the question "Well, may I know the formula?" When the good people at Dove explained the ingredients, Mr. Ogilvy found out that the soap he was hired to advertise was only three-fourths soap. One-fourth of Dove soap was a compound with the generic name of "cleansing cream". Mr. Ogilvy saw this as a major differentiator and helped create a brand that became a household name. His trademark pursuit of an exceptional story to tell for his clients, created an approach that