I would Walk 500 Miles to See @sbrownehr – Driving Great HR in Cincinnati

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But I would walk 500 miles 

And I would walk 500 more 

Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles 

To fall down at your door
 

That’s what I did this week.  I drove the 500 miles from Greenville, SC to Cincinnati, OH to sit in on an HR Roundtable that Steve Browne puts together for local HR pros in the Queen City.  While there were no turkeys dropping from the WKRP helicopter to celebrate the meeting there were a ton of great folks gathered to become better, more effective HR professionals – all because Steve Browne cares.

For those that haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Steve (@sbrownehr on twitter) – he is the Executive Director of HR for Larosa’s Pizza.  I can tell you this – DO NOT FOLLOW HIM in any presentation format.  You will be a let down for the audience.  

Steve led a discussion on Rewards and Incentives that not only entertained the group of about 120 people – but got them to think and discuss how rewards, recognition and incentives work within a company.  I also was lucky enough to sit with Benjamin McCall who helped our little table tackle many of the ins and outs of how to use rewards and incentives in a company.  

I was there somewhat incognito ( at least I was at first – Steve was kind enough to embarrass me at the conclusion by bringing me up in front of the group.)  It was a great opportunity to sit and listen to the challenges that HR faces when trying to implement reward and recognition in a company without having to really get too involved.  Just listening to the problems HR still has with this important function.  

Below are some of the top level notes from my table.  

Definitions – Definitions – Definitions

Our table – and I’m pretty sure most of the others – used rewards, recognition, and incentives interchangeably in the conversation.  This is an issue.  Those terms and their definitions are very different and they have different applications.  When concepts with different meanings are combined you end up with applications that cannot meet expectations.  When recognition programs are designed as incentives it is no wonder results are less than stellar.  When a program that is supposed to be an incentive is designed as recognition you get unhappy participants.  More effort has to be placed on creating clear and differentiated definitions so that we are all talking the same language. (past post on this here.)

Ownership of Recognition and Rewards

One of the questions Steve started us with was “who owns rewards/recognition?”

This was all over the board from – everyone, no one, managers, employees, etc.  Again – this is one of those things that is hard to get one’s hands around.  There is ownership of the strategy, the design and the operation – each has a different owner.  Senior managers own the strategy.  Qualified designers own the design and everyone owns the operation.  Because there is multiple ownership, it get’s confusing and difficult to implement effectively.

Lowest Common Denominator and Fairness

Much discussion on “fairness” and making sure everyone got the same opportunity.  Because (as Steve says) people are “grey” there is no black and white.  I agree.  People are the most variable resource you can have and because of that, your reward and recognition strategy has to remain flexible but based in strong foundations.  The group as a whole seemed to intellectually understand that – but then still wanted to default to a “common, manageable” approach.  Let’s face it – doing rewards and recognition right is difficult hard work.  But the path of least resistance is typically the wrong path.

Those were the big themes I took away from the meeting.  Not a surprise but still good to hear. 

There is much education needed when it comes to influencing behavior in an organization.  It’s not that managers or HR pros don’t want to do it right – I just don’t think there is clear communication and a good source for quality, truthful and “unspun” information on the best way to incorporate a quality reward and recognition program.

I see collaboration with Stevo in the future.

Thanks Mr. Browne for inviting me.  And how is it you’re not running this country yet?

Comments

[Steve Browne]

You used the Proclaimers !!! How cool is that? First of all, I am just tickled that you chose to come to Cincy and the HR Roundtable. It was fabulous meeting you and putting a face to a follow. I hope to do that more and more.

This is humbling more than you know. Love that you came, got to "experience" the HR Roundtable and become a tangible part of the HR Community. More and more folks need to know you and your good work.

Thanks for the kind words. As for collaborating . . . I'm in.

[Paul Hebert]

No,thank you. Mutual Admiration Society will now come to order.

Remember - by collaboration I meant a sizable financial contribution to my kids' college fund!

Great meeting - great stuff.... think "franchise"

[Jenny Tsai]

Great post and the event sounds useful in our workplace. I think it is hard to identify who should have rewards/recognition. Everyone has the different standard, and people might have their favoritism. In the workplace, people should clear and definite how the rewards/recognition goes.

[Paul Hebert]

Thanks Jenny for commenting. Clear rules/regulations and criteria are critical. But don't let "rules" overshadow the real intent of any recognition and reward activity - to highlight and validate performance that reinforces the culture or the employee.

[Robin Schooling]

What a great recap post and I am so envious you were able to attend an HR Roundtable! How I wish I were closer to Cincy; and I too look forward to collaborating with Steve in the future!