THE BENEFITS
Have you ever heard of kudo cards? These are beautifully designed cards in a box, with small headlines that address a certain theme, such as “Thank you”, “Well done”, “Super” and so on. The word kudo comes from the Greek (kydos) and means fame or honor. The cards can be purchased, and everyone from the team can put a personal message on them. Of course, there is also the possibility to make your own cards. The idea of the cards is to express appreciation and give positive feedback in a special way. In times of video conferencing, working from home and virtual communication channels, you can also use an e-card. There are templates on the Internet, which you can design according to your wishes. At https://kudobox.co, you can find and download templates for many occasions.
HOW IT’S DONE
If you observe a behavior that you experience as particularly constructive, worthy of respect and recognition, a great way of expressing this to that person is by writing a personal kudo e- card. This positive feedback works in all directions: towards a colleague, towards your employees, towards your manager. Your teammates are invited to do the same: feedback should not just come from above. Advantage: this way you establish a culture of positive feedback in your team. Psychological research shows that stable desired behavior is achieved much better through recognition and appreciation than through criticism and control. You feel good when you say something positive to someone else and the person feels good about it, too. Therefore, the positive feedback works in both directions and is equally effective for both giver and receiver.
PLEASE CONSIDER
Positive feedback in the form of kudo cards should not be used as a reward. It is not about the principles of reward of merit, but about the expression of appreciation across all hierarchical levels. Therefore, e-kudo cards should not be given out in a certain rhythm, but rather spontaneously and situationally. Some teams also use (real or virtual) kudo boards on which the cards can be pinned. Even skeptics may well be converted to fans when they have received the first cards themselves. And: some colleagues or coworkers may be more reserved and therefore their work is not visible as often, although they show positive behavior. These people are now appreciated in a completely new and different way.