Want to recognize your team? 5 Tips for creating your own FROG Board!

Jul 18, 2022

This just in from a rockstar manager: “After the conference, I created a frog board in my warehouse and it’s been really great for laughs and smiles and team morale! I can’t wait until it’s so full we can’t fit another frog.”

One of the best parts of our work is hearing how people take the concept of recognition, and specifically FROG – Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness™️ – and run with it. Here’s a great example of how Joanne with ANBL makes daily recognition part of her warehouse staff’s culture. And given the staffing shortages we’re having, think about how strategic Joanne was to do this proactively. Not only so she could hold onto her staff, but she could also keep them engaged in their work and connected to each other.

If you’re interested in implementing a FROG board in your workplace, here are some simple strategies to keep the recognition momentum going.

Make it Visible

The placement of your board is key to its success. If no one can see it, few will participate in it. Find a space that is visible and easily accessible to everyone on your team or throughout your organization. Pick a spot where everyone typically walks past throughout their work day. Create a fun, colourful, visually appealing board that grabs your attention as you walk past. If your team is working remotely or is hybrid, consider creating a board on your internal systems, or you can use a site like Kudoboard.

 Make it Easy

Make it easy for anybody to get involved. Sometimes, no matter how well-intentioned, recognition programs require too much time, too many steps or too much follow-up for them to be sustainable, effective or efficient. You want something that allows people to recognize it organically and swiftly. Put your board in a public, easily accessible space. Have sticky notes or kudos cards beside them with a stack of pens and pins next to them. That way, whenever someone sees or experiences something they want to acknowledge, they can quickly write it down and pin it up in less than a minute. The easier it is to participate, the more sustainable it will be.

Make it Fun

“The one thing you forgot to mention was that recognition needs to be fun,” entrepreneur Frank Collette shared after my keynote for the America Spice Trade Association last month. Good point Frank! Recognition should be fun! Trying to get people to participate in a recognition program shouldn’t feel like pulling teeth. If it does, they don’t connect with the approach. When designing a recognition board, for example, consider creating a theme that aligns with your organization, strategic goals or company culture. If your workplace enjoys some friendly competition, issue a challenge. A client recently shared that different teams created their own frog board and set a deadline to see who can fill their board up the fastest. Once the challenge was over, they found, the recognition continued; peer-to-peer recognition was so enjoyable, that it became an easy, enjoyable and ongoing workplace exchange.

Make it Novel

Try something unique that has never been done before. Make it special and personal to your organization. Whether that be through a theme, gamification, or celebrations, ensure that everyone is included, invested and excited about your recognition initiative. I have a client that has a recognition event every quarter, and it always has a new theme; they collect peer-to-peer recognition between events and fun in a wacky way aligned to the theme to share it. People say it’s the two hours they look forward to the most every quarter, and yes, it’s 100% virtual!

Make it Everyone’s Job

Recognition is not only the leader’s job – it should come from everyone at all levels of the organization. Talk about recognition with your colleagues and staff, and how it can make work more satisfying for everyone. Invite them to be a part of it. Joanne did that and take a look at her success in this picture. Megan and Chantal had similar success. They put up kudos boards down the hallways of their recreation center, and not only encouraged staff to add kudos, but they also invited members of the public to do so too. As the compliments flourished, interest grew, new ideas were generated, and other organizations in town decided to replicate the experience by having FROG boards in their own workplaces. Create a culture of recognition so juicy that no one wants to miss out!

These five lessons can be adapted by any workplace anytime. What will you do next to keep amping up appreciation like Joanne?

Looking for more FROG ideas? Here are some great resources:

• Thank Don’t Yell: Lessons From Travelling in COVID
• How to Build Trust
• Recognizing the Invisible Greatness

P.S. – If you’re needing a way deeper dive, we’ve got you covered! Here’s our program that helps examine, reimagine, and relaunch a recognition approaching your team or organization that’s guaranteed to retain your people (literally guaranteed…we reimburse anyone who isn’t delighted with the results!)