Inspiring Workplaces 
The Way Work Ought to Be!

#1,112- February 18, 2026

Every Thursday, the day after an episode of the acclaimed TV series The West Wing would air, John Spencer, the actor who played Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, would phone every actor, if even they just had a minor scene, and compliment them on a specific aspect of their performance. The actors raved about the impact of this and they always looked forward to his call as one of the highlights of their week. 

One of the keys to building an inspiring workplace culture is to turn recognition into a habit. Given the enormous benefits of creating a recognition-fueled culture, you simply can't leave recognition to chance. 

Here are a few ways to infuse recognition into your culture and turn it into a habit. 

• Do what one manager does (and as in the example above, you don't need to be "the boss" to do this) and leave an inspiring message of appreciation on every team members' voicemail Monday mornings to help them start the week on a high note. 
• Red Door Interactive does a weekly Wednesday afternoon huddle at 3:30, known as "We:30", where one employee is recognized for living one of their four core values out loud. 
• One of my clients holds a monthly theme day where everyone hides notes of recognition all over the office in obscure places so people keep stumbling upon the notes for weeks afterwards. 
• The Nerdery holds a Friday afternoon event in their Nerdatorium where they recognize new employees and celebrate successes from the past week.   
• Open or close your meetings with a moment of recognition and appreciation. It can be as simple as allowing anyone time to give a team member a shout out. If the team member isn't present, record it on your phone and send it out to your entire company afterwards! 

Speaking of meetings... if you want less soul-sucking meetings and more inspiring, effective, and fun meetings that fuel results, then you need to attend my virtual presentation You've GOT to Start Meeting Like This! on Thursday, March 5th. 

I'll be sharing tips and techniques on how to ensure everyone has a real voice; the creative way one company makes sure that everyone shows up on time; the power of what's known as the "activation principle;" the unconventional way Flickr ensures their meetings end on time; fun ways to flip those annoying meeting pet peeves on their head; how single purpose meetings can drive better results; and why Ha + Ha in your meetings leads to more AHA's!    

If you can't make the live event you'll still have access to the recording. You'll also receive the handout 62 Ways to Add Fun to Your Meetings, and you'll get a 50% discount code to access my Mastering Workplace Conversations recording.