Ideas That Work: Reward Staff for Their Heart, Brains and Courage

Looking for a creative way to consistently reward your staff’s ideas and efforts and reinforce your company’s core values? Consider an initiative like the “Heart, Brain and Courage Awards,” a daily recognition program created by Whitman Partners, a surgical leader staffing firm based in Portland, Ore. Each day, a standout employee is awarded a small brain, heart or lion made from Nerf-like material and recognized in front of the entire staff for their actions. The daily presentations are a repeatable way to remind staff what the organization is all about. “Employees, from the newest hire to the longest-tenured staffer, need to understand the organization’s core values,” says Josiah Whitman, CEO of the company. “This recognition program allows us to do that.” OSM