Guiding Your Team to the Summit: Recognizing Your Champions

As we approach the year’s end, I know many of you are looking to close out strong, ensuring your team is motivated, focused, and ready to tackle the path ahead in 2025. As we launch into the distraction of “Holiday Season”, it’s easy to overlook one of the most powerful ways to finish on a high note: taking time to reward and recognize the great people who make it all happen.

This month, as we prepare to gather around Thanksgiving tables and reflect on what we’re grateful for, I encourage you to bring that spirit of gratitude into your workplace. Acknowledging your team members, especially those who embody your organization’s core values, isn’t just good for morale—it’s an essential part of fostering a high-performing culture and ensuring your people feel valued and appreciated.

Recognize Your Core Value Champions

In my EOS implementation work with my clients, we constantly come back to the grounded truth that the Right People are those who exemplify your core values day in and day out. As you wrap up the year, think about who on your team has embodied your values consistently over the past quarter. Recognizing these individuals publicly not only says thank you to them but also reinforces to the entire team that core values are the foundation of your business.

Here are five ideas to help you reward and recognize your core value champions as we near the summit for this year:

1. Host a Year-End Core Values Celebration

Bring your team together for a celebration dedicated to your core values. Highlight a few team members who went above and beyond, always making sure to share specific stories of how they demonstrated your values through their actions. This could be a lunch, a small party, or even a virtual gathering—whatever fits your team’s culture best. Public recognition is a powerful way to reinforce the behaviors you want to see.

2. Give a “Core Value Champion” Award

If you haven’t done this already, consider creating a “Core Value Champion” award for each of your core values. Think about who has exemplified each value most strongly this year and present them with a tangible token of recognition. It could be a medallion, a certificate, or a personalized gift that reflects the spirit of the value they embodied. The key is to make it meaningful and to explain why they’re receiving it.

3. Offer a Day of Choice

Give your core value champions a reward that resonates: a “Day of Choice.” This could mean an extra day off, a “choose-your-project” day, or even a “work-from-anywhere” pass. This small but impactful gesture gives them control over their time and shows appreciation in a way that feels personal and flexible.

4. Hand Write a Note of Thanks

In our digital world, a handwritten note can mean a lot. Take time to write a personal note to each team member you’re recognizing. Mention specific instances when they demonstrated your core values and why that meant so much to the business. A genuine, personal expression of gratitude can have a lasting impact and strengthen the bond within your team.

5. Create a Gratitude Wall

Whether physical or virtual, a gratitude wall or channel can be a place for team members to recognize each other and share thanks throughout the year. In EOS, we regularly call out people for demonstrating our Core Values on Slack, so for your year-end push, encourage everyone to contribute by calling out colleagues who’ve gone the extra mile. This practice not only builds camaraderie but also allows your team to see the bigger impact of everyone’s contributions.

A Moment of Thanks In this season of giving thanks, remember that gratitude is more than a feeling—it’s a system that helps you all get closer to living the EOS Life. By intentionally recognizing and rewarding your core value champions, you’re creating a culture of appreciation that strengthens your team and sets a strong foundation for the year ahead.

Greenhouse Update

Talk about heading into a strong year end finish, we are finally making progress and have closed?out the building inspections on the greenhouse.

Wildfire - done!

Access and engineering - done!

Final inspection - done!

Now we are learning about tuning the passive solar system and tempering the greenhouse environment through the below-freezing Colorado nights and the incredible solar gain during the day.

35 Years of Leadership: 7 Lessons for Success

Last month, I delivered an online talk where I shared seven key insights I've gained on leadership and success throughout my journey. If you missed it, the recording is available below.

2025 Goal-Mapping Masterclass: A Navigator’s Approach to a Successful Year

Get ready to map out a path to set and hit your goals with the precision and focus of a seasoned navigator.

In this online masterclass, I?will share my?unique approach to goal-mapping.

You will discover practical tools to define your vision, prioritize key objectives, and assess the systems you will need to navigate the challenges that lie ahead.

In this talk, I'll be sharing the lessons I have learned on how to:

? Define a Clear Vision for next year

? Prioritize Key Objectives with Confidence

? Build Systems to Navigate Challenges

? Create a Roadmap to Sustain Momentum…

AND MUCH MORE!

By the end of this session, you’ll have the tools to create a powerful roadmap for a successful 2025, with clear direction and unwavering confidence.

I invite you to come join us!

Where: Zoom

When: Thursday, December 19, 9-10am MT

Register here: ColoradoLeadersForum.com

If you can't attend, register anyway and we'll send out the replay link.

Here’s to a strong finish for 2024 and an even stronger start to the new year!

With gratitude,

Steve