How to Nourish a Culture of Recognition with the CPO of Collectors

Research shows that recognition is the eighth-strongest driver of employee engagement. But how can a company go about fostering recognition at scale without being disingenuous or forced?One great example is at the company Collectors, where recognition ranges from Slack shout-outs to custom-made, collectible-style cards of the person being awarded.To learn about how Collectors put together such a unique culture of recognition, I met with their VP of Talent and Organizational Development, Dr. Eliza Wicher.In this interview, we covered: 1. What it looks and feels like to have a "40-year start-up culture"Company culture revolves around:deep passion for the collectible itemstrade nights and game nightsemployees who are best friends and family members2. Why she honed in on recognition and howHer team's engagement survey unveiled the needThen they rolled out a system of authentic, relevant awards to make recognition flow with the culture (i.e. collectible cards made of the person being recognized)3. How behavior-based leadership development sets leaders up for successWicher honed in on six critical behaviors for managersNow, she's rolling out modular training for each behaviorLong-term, she plans to make manager effectiveness a part of performance evaluation. We covered all of the above in greater detail, and much more. Enjoy!