“It’s Me! It’s Me!”

Posted August 22nd, 2007

Nancy is a realtor, who drives a Lexus. When she bought a new Lexus, it came with a special feature that allows keyless entry and starting of the car. A description of “Smart Access” from a website states:

“With the revolutionary Smart Access option, you can lock and unlock your doors, open the trunk, and turn the ignition switch – all without having to take your keys out of your pocket or purse. As soon as the sensors detect the presence of your Smart Access key, the door unlocks when you touch the handle.

My understanding is that the Smart Access feature has a special code for each driver, and it senses the code or “recognizes” the person who has the Smart Access key. One day Nancy was ready to go somewhere, and didn’t have the regular door and ignition key. They were not in her pocket or purse. But she did have her Smart Access key. On this day, however, it wasn’t as smart as advertised.The car started talking to Nancy,“Key not recognized! Key not recognized!”

Nancy,like any busy realtor, was in a hurry and didn’t have time for any nonsense. She said with exasperation, “It’s me! It’s me! I’m Nancy!”

Nancy’s problem made me wonder about how often we stand right in front of others wanting to be recognized, yet our presence might not even be acknowledged. And we are not likely to shout, “It’s me! It’s me!”

Most people want to be recognized, and the business world is filled with ideas and programs for the reward and recognition of employees. There is even a National Association for Employee Recognition with a website, http://www.recognition.org/, that contains all kinds of information about the value of recognition. According to the website, March 4 is “Employee Recognition Day.” I read a book a few years ago titled 1001 Ways to Reward Employees. All types of awards and recognition items can be purchased and given to people.

Think about these questions:What does Nancy’s story indicate about the need to be recognized, and not just recognized by a car?

What types of recognition are most valuable for you? Least valuable?

How do you seek recognition from others? How do you provide recognition to others?

Which is better: to give or to receive – recognition?

What works well for you – self-promotion or the compliments of others? Why?

When working with a group, how would you rate your experiences of group recognition?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 10:28 am and is filed under Observations.