Recognition reaps far-reaching rewards

Accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative, as the old song goes, is a fantastic way to motivate staff and build business. Psychologists may debate the point, but I agree with the many people who believe that a positive attitude is better than criticism and carping when it comes to influencing behaviours – whether that’s internally to your own employees, or externally to existing and potential customers. Celebrating success by giving credit where it’s due is surely a better motivational tool than so-called ‘tough love’ – and it can help to establish a more buoyant climate for doing business.

Award schemes are a visible way of acknowledging outstanding achievements, and the annual Tomorrow’s Cleaning Product Awards are a prime example. Thanks to the cleaning sector’s continuing development and its embrace of new technology, this very magazine treats us to a yearly celebration of all that’s best in our industry.

Similarly, at last month’s Cleaning Show, it was wonderful to witness the enthusiasm with which the Innovation Awards were received. In categories ranging from the best indoor floor cleaning machine, to the foremost eco/green product, all the entrants, and eventual winners, should be applauded for taking part. As a communications specialist it was also encouraging to see how quickly the recipients tweeted news of their wins to their followers, and I’m sure we’ll see much more coverage on this in the weeks to come.

Positive feedback – however small – needs to be shared. Whether your product has been judged to be the best amongst your peers, or a client has written a complimentary email about the fantastic service they receive from a particular cleaning operative, pass it on! Make sure that individual employees know they are appreciated, and spread the word about how well your company is doing by posting client testimonials on your website. There’s no doubt that the business climate remains challenging, but dwelling on the negative doesn’t help. Let’s start talking ourselves out of these austere times with good news about how innovative, committed and hard working the cleaning industry is.

Published in Tomorrow’s Cleaning – April 2013