10 Sure Fire Ways To Ensure That Awards Are Valued

We live in an increasingly competitive business environment – and one of the most important assets that any company can have is to provide them with the motivation to perform to the best of their ability. The same could be said of those teams that are competing on the sports field – even at an amateur level – the right award is absolutely essential – and competing for awards not only motivates those sportspeople but shows that team managers value their contributions.

But how do you make sure that you are providing an award that will be valued – and that will motivate great performance?

Here are ten tips to ensure that every award is effective at achieving the strategic goals of the company or sports team.

1. Make sure that those who are competing for the award know the criteria that are being applied. There is nothing more demotivational than to miss out on an award and not know why you are not being recognized for your efforts. Don’t overly complicate the criteria – they should be easy to understand and the measurement criteria should be clear.
   
   
2. Get input from the people who are in the running for that award. An employee survey can help to get buy-in from those who are competing for the award. If it’s a sports team a general chat can do wonders to get the entire team pulling in the same direction.
   
   
3. Make the award meaningful. A well-designed trophy that is tailor-made to reflect the business purpose of the team – be it on the sports field or in the business environment can do wonders for motivation. Display that trophy so that there is a physical experience – seeing it every day raises the excitement value and increases the motivation factor. Make sure that team players know that it’s not only the trophy that makes up the award – is there going to be an awards ceremony and who will be presenting the trophy? These are important factors in motivating the best performance.
   
   
4. Don’t make it an all-or-nothing proposition. Make sure that the awards will be staggered into different types and levels – give as many people a chance for an award depending on individual performance – and that performance needs to reflect their responsibilities and outputs.
   
   
5. Give the recipients a choice. For many that physical trophy is something they covet, for others, it may be an all-expenses-paid weekend away or a gym membership – or even branded clothing.
   
   
6. Ensure that the awards that you are providing are sourced from a reputable company that values quality. Remember that the award is a physical representation of brand or team values. Make sure that those values are reflected in the awards that you will be providing.
   
   
7. A trophy is a gold standard in some instances – but doing a bit of lateral thinking can really increase the motivational factor. Look at the design of what you will be providing (if it is a trophy). A quality supplier will be able to provide you with invaluable advice and out-of-the-box thinking.
   
   
8. The physical trophy is always appreciated, but there are options as far as awards are concerned that can provide additional value to both the employee and the company as a whole. Experiential trips, trips to other branches, learning opportunities, lunch with the CEO are fabulous at increasing employee involvement with the company and making them into the organization’s greatest champions – while at the same time allowing them the opportunity for professional growth. Experiential is often the best approach.
   
   
9. Provide regular, tangible feedback on performance so that the possible recipients can track their performance – and make efforts to address any areas of weakness. Face-to-face meetings with a senior representative emphasizing team performance, as well as providing individual motivation can be invaluable.
   
   
10. Above all make the experience fun – and the award tangible and valuable to the individual/team. Make sure that it is appropriate and create that sense of excitement, while emphasizing personal and professional growth.
    

The right award choice can do wonders for performance. with a little forethought, it can make a huge difference to the bottom line of a company or that sporting performance.

Shop United Trophy & Awards today and find the perfect recognition for you and your team.