Do You Have Employee Mercenaries or Patriots?

I believe there are two types of employees... those who I categorize as "mercenaries" and those who I call "patriots."

Which do you have?

Because the choice is entirely up to you... if you or your senior management think all your employees care about is cold hard cash you most likely will have a lot of mercenaries.

The problem with these folks is they have a bad habit of quitting the company if someone offers them more money.

Perhaps even worse, is when employee mercenaries stay with your company but disengage when they feel you don't pay them enough!

Great companies hire employee patriots who realize that employees want much more than cash. They want the opportunity to do exciting work, to feel part of a team, to develop and advance and to be recognized for who they are and what they do each and every day.

Employee patriots aren't just there for the money and they are truly committed.

What Makes A Recognition Expert?

All too often I have attended industry conferences and seen many so called "recognition and reward experts."

Scratch a bit deeper and the veneer comes off! I don't mean to demean, but there are a lot of people out there who are "reward" experts but they sure aren't "recognition" experts.
Recognition and rewards are very different things.

Rewards are material things. Cold hard cash, merchandise, gift cards are all examples of rewards. They are easily understood because they cost a certain amount and are distributed a certain way. There are a lot of reward experts.

Recognition on the other hand, is a feeling, an emotion. It is not easily quantified... ever try measuring how deeply you love your wife? In many cases it is not easily distributed or given.
So how do you determine whether you are speaking to a recognition or reward expert? It’s relatively simple.

• Ask what trade organizations the person belongs to.
• Are these organizations focused on products or on the art and science of recognition?
• Do they have a professional certification? For instance, have they taken Recognition Professionals International "Certified Recognition Professional" (CRP) course?
• When they speak to you, is it about product and delivery or about emotions?

Remember, just because you give someone a gold watch, doesn't mean you have recognized them!