Celebrating Hard Work: Non-Monetary Awards

Yabba Dabba Doo!

Since taking on leadership roles, I have always looked for ways to inspire the workforce and build a strong sense of pride for our work and contribution to mission. The one thing that I kept coming back to was how well the Virginia Tech football team’s Lunch Pail inspires the defense and in my own opinion, everyone who knows what it means to be a Hokie. The Lunch Pail Defense concept developed by Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster has made the Virginia Tech Hokies legendary for hard work, team work, and personal integrity/character. Pulling from his upbringing in the coal mining areas of Illinois, Foster chose the steel pail as a symbol of the blue collar working-man’s ethic for the Hokie Defense. The battered pail features the word “WIN” on the front, embodying Foster’s strategy for game play… and for life. “W-I-N” stands for “What’s Important Now” – to make a difference; to grow and change; to influence; to use this moment to be better than the last; to achieve greatness in all aspects of your life: win at home, win in school, win at business, win at life. In the past, the pail was filled with the Defense’s mission statement, the key to success, and goals. Over time, players started adding turf grass from playing fields where the Hokies reached victory and following the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech, the Lunch Pail also held the names of the 32 victims. Hokie fans around the world have since revered the Lunch Pail as a symbol of Virginia Tech spirit, dedication, and commitment to excellence.

As an alumnus, this story has certainly inspired me. With that idea stuck in my head, I got online and ordered a similar lunch pail. I also painted my organization’s logo on it and the word “WIN” – since we too need to focus on “What’s Important Now”. Every month, we awarded the pail to the person or team that stood out for displaying the best work ethic in keeping with the standards expected. When a team was given the pail, they picked the team member who best exemplified those traits and it was his/her honor to display the trophy on their desk / in their office – and often, it rotated around between team members. Each person/team who received the pail added a token representing their work (a sticker with their project name, an insignia/unit patch, a toy, a coin, an inspirational quote, a favorite coffee, etc.) and presented it to the subsequent winner. By making the awardees a part of the subsequent award ceremony, we publicly celebrated their accomplishments again and also made a connection between teams/awardees. Over time, the Hard Work Lunch Pail came to symbolize our team’s spirit, dedication, and commitment to excellence.

“Blessed is the man who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.” – Anonymous

This is part 2 of a 4 part series on Non-Monetary Awards. Please review the other articles for creative ways to show your workforce how much you care about them and appreciate their contributions to upholding your organization's values.

Part 1: “Non-Monetary Awards”: Recognizing Hard Work, Customer Support, and Innovation.

Part 2: “Hard Work Awards”: Celebrating Hard Work. --- This article.

Part 3: “Customer Support Awards”: Focusing on Customer Satisfaction and Performance.

Part 4: “Innovation Awards”: Sparking Innovation.