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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we need to award or reward people for doing what they should do anyway?

Clearly the purpose of tangible, extrinsic awards/rewards is motivation. Recognition/motivation resulting from the quest for tangible, extrinsic awards/rewards produces intangible, intrinsic feelings of self worth and accomplishment. It generates a sense of well-being which creates more motivation to be even more productive. The desire to reproduce those feelings, in turn, provides the power of commitment to put forth the effort to stay focused, to achieve and, therefore, accomplish again and again. This cycle of achievement is the model for successful motivation/ recognition programs.

We already have lots of great recognition programs in place. Why do we need more?

In the scheme of a busy administrator's life, recognition/motivation has often been relegated to the back burner. You can see that it needs to be brought forward. The good news is this tool will help you manage the programs more effectively. Use the Recognition Campaign Assessment tool found in the kit to gather and evaluate your offerings. Use the same tool to find things you should be offering and tie them all together in a coherent campaign that lasts all year.

Where do we begin?

1. Create a written vision statement of the desired outcome of your recognition/motivation campaign. Focus on simple, memorable objectives everyone can achieve. We chose the PRIDE acronym for these very reasons.

2. Capture on paper all the recognition/motivation activities, events, programs, ceremonies, etc. scheduled for the year. Use the assessment tool included in the kit.

3. Evaluate each item against your campaign's desired outcomes.

What works?

Anything that helps young people get and/or stay engaged in their education, works. What works best is a focused campaign like the PRIDE campaign which includes:

A simple, common theme/name that the very mention of which creates a positive feeling in your people and an understanding of the award (i.e. PRIDE: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN DAILY EFFORT).

• A simple graphic that ties everything together (PRIDE logo)
• Simple criteria consistent with the desired school outcomes
• Immediate gratification of some kind with each award level
• Awards and rewards with meaning or significance for the recipient
• Presentations with energy and flair.

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