For more than 12 years, I had the privilege to coach 26 soccer teams – among other youth sports coaching endeavors – and to serve on the board of a large youth soccer organization. It’s also true that I aspire to use language to help connect people to the ideas and efforts they need to embrace in order to achieve the outcomes they intend. Too often, it seems like we miss opportunities that are right in front of us to use language to shift mindsets and inspire action by misapplying commonly used expressions and the ideas they can reflect. For example, the expression “it’s not rocket science” used when referring to an experimental/experiential effort to advance an organization through a testing process to see what works is EXACTLY rocket science…but, it isn’t brain surgery. Similarly, it’s become popular to scoff at the idea of the so-called participation trophy because – it’s said – we’re giving an award for doing nothing. In fact, inviting people to be “rocket scientists” at the beginning of an effort to engage people willingly and happily in doing something differently in order to achieve a goal, and recognizing those people for taking those first, often uncomfortable, steps with an award recognizing their courage may be just what the doctor ordered!
Behavior change is a very difficult, time-intensive, iterative process; and, by definition, it’s essential to any change initiative (do things differently; be rewarded/recognized differently). At eQ, we like to cite the Harvard Business Review article, “Cracking the Code of Change,” by Michael Beer and Nitin Nohria that says that 70% of all change initiatives fail largely due to the difficulty humans have in learning and inculcating new habits. Part of cracking the code is dependent on our ability as leaders to get people to join us on the journey toward different and what we believe is better. The US Youth Soccer organization states as a central part of its mission that: “Our job is also to make [soccer] fun, and instill in young players a lifelong passion for the sport.” At the local level I worked at, representing more than 3,500 players, this translated to our working hard to make their soccer experience fun, getting them to come back and play another season, and creating soccer fans for life. If the cost of achieving these results rests in part on spending a few bucks for a trophy for each player, it’s more than worth it…and, as it happens, it works. Bear in mind, these trophies tend to be shared with the youngest players and they get phased out over time. By that time, we’ve built a foundation on which more challenges can be presented to players, and those players are more willing and able to meet those challenges.
Now, extrapolate the participation trophy from youth soccer to a change effort or getting the highest level of performance from your people. Consider how you’re going to get the most people involved in the most positive way with the most positive result. If I told you that handing out stickers or t-shirts or some other token of participation that rewarded the individual and drew them visibly together as a team would raise the level of participation and engagement…how willing would you be to do one or more of those things? My guess is that you’d be very willing. And, in fact, orchestrated efforts that make participation fun, accessible, and visible work (think ALS Ice Bucket Challenge).
That’s why I love participation trophies and you should, too. Here are a few tips on how to use your version of the trophy effectively -
• Make them emblematic—Select a token that reflects what you want your organization to be like, look like, and/or act like. I often chose trophies that reflected competitive spirit (one player winning a ball from another). If you’re in a battle for business, perhaps there’s a token that reflects a tool for gaining an advantage realistically or metaphorically. I worked with a company that felt they were in a fight with their main competitor and gave out mini versions of the game Rock ‘em Sock ‘em ROBOTS. If you need more teamwork, jerseys, hats, etc. rarely fail to make this point.
• Make them aspirational—You may have heard the expression, “if you can see it, you can be it.” Visualization is not some hokum carnival trick. Brain study tells us that that expression is founded in neurological fact. So, if you want your people to be stars, give them an Oscar. If you want your people to be brilliant, give them a degree. I had teams that did everything well but score. Their trophies: players shooting the ball; players celebrating. It’s part theater, sure. But, if they can see it, …
• Make it personal—Self-esteem, true self-esteem, is built on achievement; and, behaviorally, we get what we reward. As you get past the beginning of an effort and into its execution, you have the opportunity to bring the two together by finding something specific to acknowledge in each person or team that you value and want to see continue and even grow. I gave awards for everything from the best passer or top scorer to acknowledging a single instance in which a very reluctant player aggressively went after and won the ball. If you can’t find anything to acknowledge and build on, there’s a whole other conversation you already should be having!
Exactly how you approach the opportunity to encourage and build on your effort to create for even greater success is up to you…it’s not rocket science. Refusal to employ the “trophy” as a tool to achieve this success will more assuredly result in a failure to launch!
Jeff Lesher, Principal at entreQuest, blends his deep knowledge of organization design, human capital, and leadership with a pragmatic approach drawn from his own business experience and eQ's philosophy to help eQ's clients focus on their core purpose and move people effectively to action.