On March 23rd, the Alexandria SBDC will celebrate the fact that our colleague Patra Frame of Strategies for Human Resources has won the award as the State of Virginia SBDC Small Business Veteran of the Year. (click here to attend the celebration – all are welcome!) We nominated Patra for this statewide recognition several months ago because not only is she a decorated Air Force Veteran who paved the way for many military women who came after her, but also because she is an outstanding small business owner who never hesitates to help others, give advice, etc.
Patra’s award is a formal award that had a formal nomination process, etc. But how many folks do you work with who could use a little recognition themselves? Most of us these days are overworked and underpaid – that is, sadly, a fact of life. However, most of the small business owners that I know, especially those in Alexandria, realize the benefits of promoting all of us. We just don’t always take a few minutes to do it. What is the culture of your company? Do you “work and play well with others”? Do you empower your employees to act positively either to your customers or to each other, and do you recognize them when they do? A “good job on that project”, said with genuine appreciation, can go a long way to making an employee feel good about their job.
Likewise, it never hurts to publicly appreciate the other small business owners around you. If customers in your shop are talking about where they will go for lunch, do you encourage your employees to suggest some of your neighboring restaurants? If one of your vendors does a particularly timely or efficient job, do you take a minute to acknowledge that and thank them? Did one of your colleagues, or competitors have a really terrific window display or put out an extra-informative newsletter this week? E-mail notes are easy and effective – brief handwritten notes are even better (and many of our local shops have very attractive Alexandria-themed notecards for a reasonable price). Let them know that you recognized their extra effort. It really only takes a few minutes, but it will make both of you feel great!
Register for Patra Frame’s celebration at this link: https://nvite.com/BunkerBrews/eoerym
The post Recognition: Great to Get – Even Better to Give! appeared first on Alexandria Small Business Development Center.