100 CLUB: Employees earn a pin for learning 100 guests' names. Teaches interaction and the importance of learning who pays their check!

"GET TO KNOW ME" BINGO: Pass out bingo cards to your employees with general information about people: clothing, eye color, number of children, first-time guest, etc. As they talk to the guests, they get the square when they find a guest with the item they are looking for. Prizes are awarded for first bingo, completing all squares, etc.

GUESTS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS: Share the funniest thing a guest says on the phone, silliest question, oldest guest, youngest guest, biggest dollar order, etc. Fun way to encourage listening to the guests and sharing the stories with the other employees. Works great for cashiers, drive-thru, and guests calling for delivery/to-go.

TRAINING BINGO: Provide each employee a bingo card with specific items to sell or make or even skills to demonstrate to you. As they complete each item, they get the square. Focus is on refreshing skills they may have forgotten.

V.I.G. CARDS: Pass out cards or coupons to all employees and have them distribute them to friends, neighbors, offices…anywhere outside of your parking lot. Everyone is a salesperson. The employee earns points for each one redeemed. They can save the points for prizes and you can have larger prizes for the top salespeople.

CLOSEST TO THE PIN: You can do this prediction game for a variety of functions. For cashiers, it can be over/short, how many of a specific item they will sell, or total sales for the day. In the back of the house, it can be for guessing total food waste, number of remakes, busiest product hour, or ideal food cost versus theoretical.

FIND THE DOT, CLEAN THE SPOT: Place date labels around those hard-to-clean places, including under the dish machine, behind equipment, under stacks of cups or boxes–basically, any place you need clean. The employees find the dots, clean the spots, and earn points/prizes. You get a sparkling restaurant and help open the eyes of the team.

COOK TIME/QUALITY: Have a specified number of points, lottery tickets, or tickets for a drawing available to the kitchen staff for the shift. Every time a product goes over the specified time or doesn't meet standards, points are deducted or tickets lost. Staff divides up whatever remains at the end. Peer pressure is more effective than management pressure, and it promotes teamwork and quality.

Allowing your employees to earn points or "company bucks" encourages them to save for larger items–and stay with you longer–and ensures that the folks driving your business earn rewards. The employees can choose prizes from a list or catalog, or you can have a points auction to have them bid on items donated from vendors or that you've purchased from local merchants. Some of the most effective rewards are:

• GET-OUT-OF-SIDE-WORK CARDS: Everyone loves getting out of side work!
• MANAGER CLOSES FOR YOU: Manager does the employee's closing duties for the night (and gets checked out by the employee). Walk a mile in my shoes! Who learns more in this example?
• GET-OUT-OF-WORK-EARLY CARD: They can redeem points for an extra 15/30 minut
  A Business Meta - Fore
  Many professional golfers go on to develop successful and significant business interests. Greg Norman is a standout example of this. Many senior business leaders play golf at a high level. This link between success at golf and successful business may not be coincidental, the attributes required for both are very similar. Consider the following.Applying FundamentalsChampion golfers spend hours getting the fundamentals right. They call this practicing. Very few golfers become champions without establishing the right grip, shoulder turn and stance. These fundamentals ar
  talk to the guests, they get the square when they find a guest with the item they are looking for. Prizes are awarded for first bingo, completing all squares, etc.

  GUESTS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS: Share the funniest thing a guest says on the phone, silliest question, oldest guest, youngest guest, biggest dollar order, etc. Fun way to encourage listening to the guests and sharing the stories with the other employees. Works great for cashiers, drive-thru, and guests calling for delivery/to-go.

  TRAINING BINGO: Provide each employee a bingo card with specific items to sell or make or even skills to demonstrate to you. As they complete each item, they get the square. Focus is on refreshing skills they may have forgotten.

  V.I.G. CARDS: Pass out cards or coupons to all employees and have them distribute them to friends, neighbors, offices…anywhere outside of your parking lot. Everyone is a salesperson. The employee earns points for each one redeemed. They can save the points for prizes and you can have larger prizes for the top salespeople.

  CLOSEST TO THE PIN: You can do this prediction game for a variety of functions. For cashiers, it can be over/short, how many of a specific item they will sell, or total sales for the day. In the back of the house, it can be for guessing total food waste, number of remakes, busiest product hour, or ideal food cost versus theoretical.

  FIND THE DOT, CLEAN THE SPOT: Place date labels around those hard-to-clean places, including under the dish machine, behind equipment, under stacks of cups or boxes–basically, any place you need clean. The employees find the dots, clean the spots, and earn points/prizes. You get a sparkling restaurant and help open the eyes of the team.

  COOK TIME/QUALITY: Have a specified number of points, lottery tickets, or tickets for a drawing available to the kitchen staff for the shift. Every time a product goes over the specified time or doesn't meet standards, points are deducted or tickets lost. Staff divides up whatever remains at the end. Peer pressure is more effective than management pressure, and it promotes teamwork and quality.

  Allowing your employees to earn points or "company bucks" encourages them to save for larger items–and stay with you longer–and ensures that the folks driving your business earn rewards. The employees can choose prizes from a list or catalog, or you can have a points auction to have them bid on items donated from vendors or that you've purchased from local merchants. Some of the most effective rewards are:

  • GET-OUT-OF-SIDE-WORK CARDS: Everyone loves getting out of side work!
  • MANAGER CLOSES FOR YOU: Manager does the employee's closing duties for the night (and gets checked out by the employee). Walk a mile in my shoes! Who learns more in this example?
  • GET-OUT-OF-WORK-EARLY CARD: They can redeem points for an extra 15/30 minu
    Change Management Necessary when It is Time for Change
    Too often corporate boards of directors fear change management because they fear shaking things up, which might make things worse. However when it is time for a change; change management is necessary and often it will be for the better. It would be hard to debate that change management in corporations does cause stress on the executive teams and often, temporary chaos. But that is not to say we should accept this or fail to make a change when he changes needed.Change management is necessary when it is time for a change and it is time to distinguish the goals of the forward progression of
    p>

    V.I.G. CARDS: Pass out cards or coupons to all employees and have them distribute them to friends, neighbors, offices…anywhere outside of your parking lot. Everyone is a salesperson. The employee earns points for each one redeemed. They can save the points for prizes and you can have larger prizes for the top salespeople.

    CLOSEST TO THE PIN: You can do this prediction game for a variety of functions. For cashiers, it can be over/short, how many of a specific item they will sell, or total sales for the day. In the back of the house, it can be for guessing total food waste, number of remakes, busiest product hour, or ideal food cost versus theoretical.

    FIND THE DOT, CLEAN THE SPOT: Place date labels around those hard-to-clean places, including under the dish machine, behind equipment, under stacks of cups or boxes–basically, any place you need clean. The employees find the dots, clean the spots, and earn points/prizes. You get a sparkling restaurant and help open the eyes of the team.

    COOK TIME/QUALITY: Have a specified number of points, lottery tickets, or tickets for a drawing available to the kitchen staff for the shift. Every time a product goes over the specified time or doesn't meet standards, points are deducted or tickets lost. Staff divides up whatever remains at the end. Peer pressure is more effective than management pressure, and it promotes teamwork and quality.

    Allowing your employees to earn points or "company bucks" encourages them to save for larger items–and stay with you longer–and ensures that the folks driving your business earn rewards. The employees can choose prizes from a list or catalog, or you can have a points auction to have them bid on items donated from vendors or that you've purchased from local merchants. Some of the most effective rewards are:

    • GET-OUT-OF-SIDE-WORK CARDS: Everyone loves getting out of side work!
    • MANAGER CLOSES FOR YOU: Manager does the employee's closing duties for the night (and gets checked out by the employee). Walk a mile in my shoes! Who learns more in this example?
    • GET-OUT-OF-WORK-EARLY CARD: They can redeem points for an extra 15/30 minu
      Presentation Skills and the Professional Image
      Recently a manger called asking for advice on giving presentations. He indicated he was experienced, but needed some "polish". He knew his career depended on making a better impression on his audience.Sound familiar? Presentation skills often can summarized by the four P's. The first P is passion. Choose a topic that is very important to you as the speaker, one that gets you enthusiastic and energized! If the topic is uninteresting, find some facet that is exciting to you and to the audience, or can be made to seem fascinating. If the topic is uninteresting to you, you will lose your audien
      those hard-to-clean places, including under the dish machine, behind equipment, under stacks of cups or boxes–basically, any place you need clean. The employees find the dots, clean the spots, and earn points/prizes. You get a sparkling restaurant and help open the eyes of the team.

      COOK TIME/QUALITY: Have a specified number of points, lottery tickets, or tickets for a drawing available to the kitchen staff for the shift. Every time a product goes over the specified time or doesn't meet standards, points are deducted or tickets lost. Staff divides up whatever remains at the end. Peer pressure is more effective than management pressure, and it promotes teamwork and quality.

      Allowing your employees to earn points or "company bucks" encourages them to save for larger items–and stay with you longer–and ensures that the folks driving your business earn rewards. The employees can choose prizes from a list or catalog, or you can have a points auction to have them bid on items donated from vendors or that you've purchased from local merchants. Some of the most effective rewards are:

      • GET-OUT-OF-SIDE-WORK CARDS: Everyone loves getting out of side work!
      • MANAGER CLOSES FOR YOU: Manager does the employee's closing duties for the night (and gets checked out by the employee). Walk a mile in my shoes! Who learns more in this example?
      • GET-OUT-OF-WORK-EARLY CARD: They can redeem points for an extra 15/30 minu
        Leading Change - Firefighters or Arsonists
        "Ed, I used to love this place. We were all firefighters when we needed to be, and that's good. But right now it’s full of arsonists."Change leaders don’t get it. They confuse enthusiasm for progress. Oftentimes their best people are arsonists and they don’t even know it. They allow their organizations to be so hooked on the old ways of firefighting, where they get their jolly's being the fire chief and putting out fires that they can't let it go. They don’t have the guts to instill process discipline, discipline that is needed to drive change.When we were brought in to Compaq in the
        ucks" encourages them to save for larger items–and stay with you longer–and ensures that the folks driving your business earn rewards. The employees can choose prizes from a list or catalog, or you can have a points auction to have them bid on items donated from vendors or that you've purchased from local merchants. Some of the most effective rewards are:

        • GET-OUT-OF-SIDE-WORK CARDS: Everyone loves getting out of side work!
        • MANAGER CLOSES FOR YOU: Manager does the employee's closing duties for the night (and gets checked out by the employee). Walk a mile in my shoes! Who learns more in this example?
        • GET-OUT-OF-WORK-EARLY CARD: They can redeem points for an extra 15/30 minutes added on to a break or to come in late/leave early, with prior approval.
        • MAKE YOUR OWN SCHEDULE FOR A WEEK: They get to write their own schedule for one week. It doesn't cost you anything, but it's worth plenty to them.
        • GIFT CARDS: Trade-out with your neighboring businesses or purchase gift cards that can be used for phone calls, gas, video rental, coffee, or movie theaters.
        • OTHER STUFF: Other effective rewards include electronics, CDs, DVDs, uniform parts, certificates for a car wash, or gift certificates from giftcertificates.com (where employees can choose from over 700 different gift certificates so you don't have to worry about what to buy).

        Just remember: "Mandatory recognition is not recognition." How you present the award is as important as what you are presenting. The games are meant to help you begin to recognize and reward your staff. If you or your managers are doing this just because you have to, don't even bother doing it at all.

        Your competition will!