grams, and the majority do an adequate job at it. The challenge is that very
few do a greatjob at it. The reason is that most employees and owners alike
don’t understand the value of recognition and how to do it effectively. It
makes matters worse that very few distributors understand it well, either.
Most believe recognition is the company’s responsibility. I learned a long time
ago not to rely on the company to motivate my organization. I take recogni-
tion into my own hands, and I suggest you do the same. Understand that per-
forming recognition effectively does not come naturally to most people, even
the top income earners. But the great news is it can be learned. I encourage
you to learn the incredible art of motivation through recognition.
My best advice for people in this business is to develop a “catch them
doing something right” mentality with regard to their downline. Better put,
praise them to profit. The best leaders learn to celebrate virtually everything,
from advancing through the various compensation plan levels to achieving
record-breaking months, from adding new enrollees to making new retail
sales. They also use many forms of recognition, from a congratulatory voice
mail or e-mail to a steak dinner, from a bottle of champagne to a trip to Paris.
I believe that we should recognize our people with plaques as big as doors,
and trophies as big as the people who earn them.
The bigger the accomplishment, the bigger the reward should be. For
example, one of our personally sponsored distributorships recently achieved a
top pin. My wife and I surprised them by picking them up in a limo and tak-
ing them to a private jetport where a leased private Learjet awaited our ar-
rival. Once airborne, we enjoyed the finest of champagne during our short
flight to Martha’s Vineyard, where we had lunch at the top restaurant on the
island. After a little shopping, we hopped back on the Lear to return to Man-
hattan. The limo took us to the Plaza Hotel to relax and picked us up again in
time for dinner at the number one restaurant in New York City. The distribu-
torship achieved something big so we made them feel appreciated, respected,
and valued by giving them an experience they will remember for the rest of
their lives.
We do recognition right in our organization. We’ve taken our leaders
everywhere from a dream week in Cabo San Lucas to first-class weekends in
Beverly Hills and Las Vegas, from New York to Paris to French Polynesia. We
recognize the big accomplishments and we recognize the small stepping-stones.
We look for any reason to call someone’s name, to stand and be applauded.
Our people understand recognition so well, the other day the sound guy
walked onstage to check the microphone and the crowd gave him a standing
ovation! We’ve designed a championship ring for our leaders who achieve top
pin levels. Now, I’m not talking small potatoes. Our championship ring makes
a World Series ring look insignificant. Anyone would be more than proud to
wear this on their finger. The ring and its diamonds are massive, and deserv-
ingly so. I believe if we can stand and cheer the sports figures and the rock
Recognition: The Driving Force 139