This idea comes not from a law firm but from a manager in a medical practice. It’s a way not only to end negative attitudes among staff but also to keep a positive attitude going indefinitely.
It was developed by Sharon Hunter who manages Granbury Internal Medical Associates in Granbury, TX, and it’s what she terms an “applause sheet.”
It’s just a half-page form that she gives out at each week’s staff meeting.
At the top she fills in the name of a staffer, and the directions she gives to staff are to write down “the most valuable qualities this person has.” The answers have to be things that benefit the office, not personal qualities such as that somebody is a good mother.
One staffer gets cited at each meeting, so everybody gets an applause week.
The form is small, she says, “because people see a full blank page as intimidating.” It reads:
(Name of staffer) is a valuable employee and coworker. She demonstrates skills or qualities that are important to her job and to our team. I have noticed that she . . .
Below that are several lines to fill in, and at the bottom is the date and a space for a signature, though the signature is optional.
Staff have a week to fill it out and return it to Hunter who then compiles the answers and reads them out at the next staff meeting. “Some people are easily moved to tears and didn’t want to read their own,” she says.
Afterwards, she puts a copy in the personnel file and also gives the staffer a copy. That way, the staffer has a stack of positive comments “in each person’s handwriting,” which is especially helpful “when there’s an abrasive relationship” between two staff members.
That simple form, Hunter says, “forces everybody to think positively” about everybody else. And because staff have a full week to come up with their answers, the positive thinking is continuous week to week.
The answers can be anything.
Some remarks have been nothing more than “she is always cheerful with everybody” or “she always talks quietly with people about collections so nobody gets embarrassed.”
Others are extensive such as “She is constantly improving her skills and knowledge base. She is compassionate and caring.” Some staffers fill up both sides of the form.
And the exercise is not limited to the staff. Everybody also fills out forms for each of the office’s three partners, and Hunter gives the partners copies at their meetings.
Download a model Applause Sheet.
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