By Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

In summer, Carrots become more important than ever as on-the-spot and above-and-beyond recognition to individual team members can help keep everyone focused on the critical tasks that need to be accomplished.  Here are a few ideas to get your mind going:

Revert to Childhood. If your team is working hard and the sun is beating down on them, say thanks by reverting back to childhood. Take an afternoon to have Slinky races down the stairs, have a Silly Putty sculpture contest, play games of Pic-Up Stix and Life, have remote control car races, etc. And don’t forget snack time… or even a nap. It may sound silly, but Wall Street firms use this idea, and the results are always positive.

Beat the Rush. Few things are better on a summer afternoon than beating rush hour and getting to spend extra time at home on the back deck. To reward a great employee or hard working team, give them the reward of time. Allow them to leave work an hour early to beat the traffic.

A Summer Read. Get a great employee a new release from her favorite author to read on vacation. We recommend any book with a carrot on the cover, but there may be one or two other good books out there to consider.

Home Improvement. During the summer everyone’s got projects around the house and in the yard. Reward a fantastic achiever with home improvement tools or a certificate to a home improvement store. It’s a perfect award for those who are handy or those who’ve just moved into a new home or apartment.

Cook Them Breakfast. To reward the team for a summer of dedication, get to work early and cook them pancakes and serve coffee and juice. Don’t forget to pass on your specific thanks.

Wash Their Cars. One of our favorite summer rewards is spreading fast. The senior leadership team of several companies we’ve visited spends a day in the summer outside in the parking lot washing everyone’s car. It’s an idea that not only communicates that leadership appreciates employees’ hard work, but it’s fun to say to the CEO, “Hey, you missed a spot.” 

In short, as the temperatures rise, make sure your recognition activities are heating up too. It will pay off in more focused and appreciative employees. And that’s good for the summer’s bottom line.

Originally printed in Carrot Culture June 2007. www.carrots.com 

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton are authors of the critically acclaimed, best-selling Carrot business book series including the newly-released New York Times Best-seller The Carrot Principle, published by Free Press, and the New York Times Best-seller The Invisible Employee, published by John Wiley & Sones. The 24-Carrot Manager and A Carrot A Day, a Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek national bestseller, have been translated in over a dozen languages and continue to impact managers throughout the world. As “The Carrot Guys,” Gostick and Elton are recognition consultants to Fortune 500 companies and speak to more than 100,000 people each year on the power of effective, strategic employee recognition.