“A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of the others.”
—Norman Shidle
The silliest things can have a profound impact. At Hewlett-Packard, when a software engineer found a software bug, his manager, knowing the importance of timely recognition, wanted to capture the moment and handed him a banana from his own lunch, telling him “Great job!” Over time, the Golden Banana Award has become HP’s most prestigious award, complete with a plaque and a banana lapel pin. Receiving the Golden Banana Award puts employees in an elite performers’ club.
At the Good Samaritan, a nursing home in West Union, Iowa, cross-functional teams have been created for every shift, consisting of a registered nurse, a dietitian, and patient care aides for each wing. Teams are recognized at quarterly get togethers for the number of compliments they receive from patients and their relatives or from administrators. Comment cards are read aloud and posted on the central bulletin board, and administrators bring baked goods or flowers from their own gardens to recognize the team with the most favorable comments that quarter.