Life Savers vs. Breath Savers: Spot Awards

Spread joy.

What a great joy it is to thank someone for making a difference!

Throughout my career, I always looked for different ways to show appreciation, to make someone smile during the workday. I sometimes got a little carried away with my creativity and cutesiness though. On one such occasion, I dreamed up taking a pack of Life Savers® and attaching a handwritten note that read “You’re a life saver! Thank you for all you do!” along with a few specifics about the exact nature of their mission impact. I picked up a multipack of Wintergreen Life Savers® (my favorite), mocked up the “spot award”, and brought it to the senior technical expert in our organization for her feedback. Since she was well respected amongst the workforce, I wanted her informal approval before giving out the first award to make sure that it would resonate with the team and not be too cutesy.

Her reaction was unexpected, to say the least. After an extended period of uncomfortable silence, she finally looked up with eyes wide, eyebrows arched, and a look of confused curiosity. Of course, my survival brain went into overdrive and started an inner dialog of criticism of me and my stupid idea, judgment over her inability to see my creativity, and frustration over wanting to find a way to express appreciation yet striking out again with this workforce. Back to square one.

As we know, the survival brain isn’t unique to any one of us and with a few slow, deliberate breaths, I was able to look her in the eyes and ask for her honest feedback.

After explaining the concept again, she cut me off and asked me to take a step back and look objectively at the package.

And that’s when we both burst out laughing! Instead of buying Life Savers®, I had mistakenly purchased Breath Savers®!

What in the world would our staff think when I handed them breath mints? “Thank you for your great work, now go freshen up and get your bad breath under control.” Ha! Ha! Ha!

Thank goodness I sought a trusted confidant to bounce my idea off. Who knows what unintended consequences would have resulted?

• * Where do you need to take a breath or find a life saver?


• * What creative ideas of yours might benefit from a sanity check with a trusted confidant?


• * Who do you seek out as your trusted confidant(s)?

Of course, it’s the thought that counts and as long as your “thank you” is delivered with heartfelt gratitude it doesn’t matter if it’s wrapped in Life Savers® or Breath Savers®. 😉 What matters most is that you deliver your gratitude from your heart to theirs.

• * Who does your workforce trust or respect the most?


• * Who are the change agents in your organization, perhaps, for you to partner with, especially when introducing something new?


• * Who is waiting to hear your heartfelt gratitude?


• * How could you add a little laughter or brighten someone’s workday today?

If you google “life savor quotes for employees” you will find many examples of ways to share this simple thank you with your staff.

Recoginizing folks for their amazing contributions is one of my favorite things to do as a leader and as such, one of my favorite topics to write about so please check out these other articles for more inspirations:

“Thank You Notes”: A Simple “Thank You!” Goes a Long Way!

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

“Hard Work Awards”: Celebrating Hard Work.

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

“Innovation Awards”: Sparking Innovation.

“I'm just here for the candy.”
- Unknown

Thank you for reading! I am an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) specializing in Performance Coaching for Senior Executives, Flag Officers, and STEM professionals, and mental fitness for all. Don’t miss out on information and techniques that can take you to the next level. Schedule your one-on-one coaching here!

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