What are you celebrating? What are you reinforcing?
As a leader (or parent), have you ever sat back and thought about the behaviors you are reinforcing with your team?
My husband and I adopted two new dogs in March. I’ve been fortunate in that most of my dogs have had some level of training before I got them… until now.
These kiddos weren’t leash-trained when we brought them home; they still think our living room is a parkour facility, and they’ll pee on a rug when the back door is WIDE open.
Our “velociraptors,” as we affectionately call them, also love to jump up, put their paws on you, and beg to be picked up. They’re so cute, that of course… we HAVE to pick them up for a quick snuggle. They do it constantly, and sometimes, it gets a little annoying.
Now, if you’re an animal lover, you’re probably nodding along.
Of course, Sheryl. They are precious fur babies, and you must love and snuggle them always.
However, if you’re an animal lover who knows anything about behavioral training, you’re probably shaking your head and thinking:
Of course, Sheryl. And they will keep jumping on you because you are reinforcing their behavior.
Whether you’re leading a team, a classroom, a family, or a pack of pups, what you reward, you reinforce. Let me go ahead and say that one more time for the people in the back row…
What You Reward, You Reinforce.
So the question remains… what are you reinforcing?
The Wrong Celebrations
It’s not your fault. Rewarding unhealthy behaviors started in elementary school. Did you ever receive the “Perfect Attendance” award?
What if we called it what it really was… “The Come to School Hacking Up a Lung and Shedding Bacteria, Completely Unconcerned with Spreading Germs to Your Fellow Classmates, Not to Mention the Poor Teacher” award. Not as catchy, but way more realistic.
Throughout our lives, we are frequently measured, judged, and rewarded for characteristics, behaviors, and KPIs that are… wait for it… BS.
When we step into the workplace, we compete for Best Sales, Top Performer, and Employee of the Month or Year. These all sound like reasonable awards to recognize, until we look closer at what they actually measure.
Is your best salesperson stealing sales from co-workers, selling products to people who don’t need them, or overpromising and then underdelivering?
Is your Top Performer stealing credit from team members, hoarding information to appear “indispensable,” or working themselves to the bone to look good?
What about your Employee of the Month or Year? Did they earn that title by logging long hours and skipping time off to appear more committed than others, or by taking on responsibilities well beyond their job description to be the “go-to person?”
The fact is, when we reward unhealthy boundaries under the guise of “hard work,” we endanger our employees and the health and safety of our organizations.
Identifying Your Core Values
A Boundaried WorkplaceTM starts with a clear understanding of the organization’s mission and values. If you don’t know what matters to you, how will you know what to reward and reinforce?
Imagine a company whose values include:
- Open Communication
- Respect for Time
- Accountability
- Focus
- Sustainability
Even without going into detail, doesn’t that sound like an organization you’d like to work for? (Click here for a full explanation of Core Values.)
When you can clearly articulate and communicate your core values, you can identify the behaviors that exemplify them.
Reinforce the Right Behaviors
Armed with this knowledge, you can ensure that when you celebrate your employees and reward them for their work, it’s for the right behaviors.
Your Top Salesperson may have logged the most sales; however, they did so with integrity. They respected their coworkers and any previous relationships they had established, identified their customers’ needs, matched them with the right product, and delivered everything they promised (if not more).
Your Top Performer or Employee of the Month or Year is no longer the person answering emails at 11 pm, eating at their desk, and skipping vacations. They are the employees who model well-being, ensuring they take care of themselves and build downtime into their schedules. These employees know their responsibilities and make sure their work is done before jumping in to “help” others.
And for the love of all that is furry, please stop celebrating germs with feet. If you are sick, stay the heck home and keep your plague to yourself.
Conclusion
Here’s the thing: your team is always watching. Every “thank you,” every Slack shout-out, every bonus check sends a message about what matters to you and the organization.
So, celebrate boundaries. Celebrate balance. Celebrate people who protect their well-being and still crush their goals.
You can’t build a healthy workplace by rewarding unhealthy behavior.
So ask yourself one more time: What are you reinforcing? Because culture isn’t what you say. It’s what you celebrate.
Ready to create a culture employees flock to? Let’s chat about how my Boundaried WorkplaceTM program can help.
