When Trophies Meant Something

Recognition Can Be a Powerful Motivator, But Only If It’s Earned.

This is going to sound old-school, but every time I walk into a kid’s room, I am constantly amazed. Aside from the sheer technological fire-power contained within those four, small, adolescent-indwelt walls (laptop computer, dvd player, cell phone, flat screen television, XBox, and Ipod), I literally stand in awe at the number of trophies, ribbons, medals, certificates, and congratulatory pictures today’s kids accumulate.

I say accumulate, because I’m not sure that these awards are genuinely earned.

Now, I’m not usually into this kind of extra-generational criticism, but I ask you, “Is finishing 11th in a local little-league tournament something that really needs to be preserved for the rest of time with a personalized trophy?”

Recently, in one of my friend’s children’s room, I spotted a substantial (translated: “lift-with-your-knees”) trophy that was for…don’t miss this…participating in a 4th of July neighborhood fun run.

I know that some will think that I’m a bit hard-hearted here. But, and answer honestly now, how challenging is a jog around the block? In fact, is the skill set of “keep turning left and hurry back” really worthy of this kind of recognition?

Of course, we all know what’s happening here.

Parents and coaches are trying to ensure that every child is rewarded for giving a good effort. No one can fault them for that. However, by giving more praise and reward than the effort invested, we may actually be doing more harm than good.

The truth is, and it’s been observed by more than one behaviorist (Read another essay by another university professor), there is a very real point of diminishing returns in this kind of game. That point is reached when the rewards being bestowed really don’t mean all that much to the recipient–but they are expected…in absolutely everything.

Hit .200? Certificate of Achievement. Score 10 points? Oustanding Player Award. Three kills in the volleyball match? Golden Spike Award. Show up for class? Get a C. Take out the garbage? $15 cash money. Fill your lungs with air? You get the point.

The fact of the matter is, trophies and other kinds of”big deal” external rewards can be used so often by coaches and parents that kids can get the wrong message–if you think I’m kidding just check out this local little league website page and you tell me what message is being sent.

The sad part of this whole thing is that it can take years to undue this kind of conditioning.

As is usually the case, what is a good lesson for children often becomes an even more important lesson for adults–especially in the workplace.

Indeed, from a management perspective, it’s clear; praising and rewarding workers for giving less than a satisfactory effort is equally as detrimental as what we’ve been doing to today’s kids.

In fact, a world-class consulting group, The Gallup Organization, has been researching this kind of thing for some years now. According to Gallup’s experts, employee praise is a very important piece in the happiness, productivity, and retention puzzle. However, praise for employee achievement must be in-line with the accomplishment. Moreover, praising employees for something they know they didn’t genuinely earn, only encourages people to lower their level of effort because they know they can earn a lot of recognitioneven if they give a subpar performance.

Over the long haul, this can become the”norm” among employees who then have difficulty growing, being challenged to improve their performance and resiliently dealing with constructive feedback.

In fact,here’s what Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, had to say on this topic in 2004 Esquire interview.

“…I’ve come to learn that the worst kind of manager is the one who practices false kindness. I tell people, you think you’re a nice manager, that you’re a kind manager? Well, guess what? You won’t be there someday. You’ll be promoted. Or you’ll retire. And a new manager will come in and look at the employee and say, “Hey, you’re not that good.” And all of a sudden, this employee is fifty-three or fifty-five, with many fewer options in life. And now you’re gonna tell him, “Go home?” How kind is that? You’re the cruelest kind of manager.”

Obviously, this does not mean that good managers don’t have to practice kindness or treat people with respect. To the contrary, the great managers treat people with respect and dignity, they tell them the truth and they reward them when it’s deserved.

Looking back, I can say with perfect recollection, I earned four trophies total in my entire athletic career. That time period includes formal competition in elementary school, junior high, high school, and college. Multiple sport seasons. Hours and hours–no check that–years and years of blisters, missed meals, and athlete’s foot. For all that effort, four trophies on the shelf.

But that’s the way it was “back in the day”–trophies were rare. And when you earned one, it meant something.

When you look at the cost-benefit equation of my athletic experience, two things become perfectly clear. First, I was an average athlete who probably would have amassed more hardware had I joined the debate team. Second, and this is the point here: earning those trophies made a profound impact on my life. The “hard work+ diligence=reward=personal satisfaction” formula left an indelible mark on me.

I guess that’s why I kept those four trophies.

The most valued prize in the collection?

Easy. The second-place, “one-on-one” basketball trophy I received in the winter of 1974 from Coach “Baldy” Wahldahl.

I think the reason I appreciated that trophy so much is because, again, I worked my tail off to get it. With 30 years in the rear-view mirror, it’s clear to me now that Coach Wahldahl was a rare breed. He obviously knew the power of rewarding both effort and achievement. At the same time, he never set you back by practicing false kindness or giving you something for nothing. And that’s what made him a great coach. Everyone in that program loved him and we all learned from him.

With everything that goes on in life, one would think that a 7th grade, second-place basketball trophy wouldn’t mean a whole lot. But, to be honest, it does. I learned a lot about effort, reward, delayed gratification and genuine, lifelong satisfaction from that experience andthe lesson is something that I still carry with me today.

Oddly enough,that’s exactly the same experience that great managers give their people in America’s best workplaces.

Yours in good health,

Dr. David Hunnicutt

Copyright 2006, David Hunnicutt.com

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