Think back to your school days when a certificate of achievement was a huge deal… it boosted the ego and gave you a great deal of pride. After 4 years in high school that diploma rekindled the excitement and again a few years later when you walk across the stage receiving your college diploma. The same can be said for the technical professionals who pursue focused technical certifications.
That sense of pride we have for our accomplishments can sometimes overshadow the work of others who helped us get to this milestone. We give credit to our parents and other family members for the sacrifices made and the collegues who participated… but it is your name on the certificate.
These focused certifications and achievement awards tend to dominate at least one wall in the office. The same office where your team of professionals also walk by. This can be discouraging to the team. Especially when they had a hand in your success. The more the wall grows, the more you become noticed and the more your team is overshadowed. Enough time that passes where the team doesn’t get the recognition they deserve, the more discouraged they can become. With a discouraged team, quality and quantity of service can go down. This changes your wall of accomplishments into a heightened expectation of your performance and you find that you have to work harder to justify the wall of success because your team has lost not only confidence but motivation to excell.
I have been very fortunate to work with some great people. They are not just great for their individual talents, but for their work with the teams they represent. Even when times were challenging, the team found a way to remember the mission which was to take care of our customers. These are the same professionals that represent every certificate and special award we receive… instead of your certificates, you might want to consider pictures of your team, your pride in them can motivate them. Their pride in themselves and eachother will keep them close and is the greatest award you can receive.
