Employee Recognition Award

So last week I had my 6 month review with my 2 managers (I've been here about 9 months, but they do reviews on everybody twice a year all at the same time). Well the review went great, and in some ways it reminded me of one of my previous employers, where one day I won the Employee Recognition Award. That employer didn’t do monthly or even yearly awards. They just up and decided one day to give a recognition award to an employee. I don't know why they did this, but it might have had something to do with the fact that they had 4 extra Chief's tickets to give away. :) They never did the award again while I was there (and I worked there for 7 years!)

Anyway, they asked each employee to secretly vote for 1 other employee, and to explain why they thought this person should win the award and be recognized as a special employee. There were over 100 people working there at the time, and apparently I got more votes than anyone else. Here are some of the notes that people wrote about me:

MAKES THE WORK PLACE MORE ENJOYABLE
While he worked in my department, he always worked through the chaos with a smile on his face. As people ran in with last minute projects, yes beyond the designated deadline, he always took them with a smile. His efforts were very much recognized and he was promoted to a higher position. Life gets hectic as well in his new role, but he again never lets us see him sweat. Maybe they do in his new department, but in interacting with the other departments he keeps his chin up and doesn’t get frustrated when things get tuff.

GONE OUT OF THE WAY TO HELP A CO-WORKER
He is always willing to help others and answer their questions. He is always polite and never rude about things. He occasionally answers customer calls about things that he isn’t involved in and either takes care of it or directs them to the correct person.

MAKES THE WORK PLACE MORE ENJOYABLE
He is the most pleasant person I have ever worked with. His attitude is wonderful. He is always positive, and has a way of looking on the bright side of every situation.


Yes, isn't it funny that 2 people wrote exactly the same thing as their titles about me? "Makes the work place more enjoyable." Apparently I make the workplace better for those around me! :) Well, I wasn't writing this to brag or gloat, I just wanted to share that being positive isn’t just an attitude, but a lifestyle, and it does make others feel better towards you.

What I found most interesting at the time was that about 15 different people came up to me afterwards to congratulate me and they all said pretty much the same thing: "James, I didn't vote for you, but I knew you would win!"

Interesting Note

So, you know how sometimes something normal will happen that will leave you discovering something new about yourself that you didn't even know? Well, I just put my receipts in our personal accounting software for the last 3 months, and there really weren't that many (I don't do much shopping). In fact, I put in probably 20-25 receipts. ALL of them, except for 2, were for one of the following:
Chipotle, QuikTrip, or MicroCenter.

Apparently I only eat at one restaurant, buy gas at QT, and shop at one electronics store. Man, I need to get out of this routine! ;)

Well, that's it for my self-discovery for today!