KUDO CARDS: EXPRESSING APPRECIATION

Employees are often used to receiving only bad feedback or expressing criticism, and they have to accept it, and change. That’s why every company should implement the Kudo cards within their team management strategy. It’s much more important than rewarding your team members by money. Why? We will learn more about this technique in this post.

What are the Kudo cards?

Also known as HERO awards, RIPPAS, HUGS, it’s a way to express your appreciation and recognition of a colleague for something he/she has contributed to the team, and anyone can publicly recognize someone else’s efforts. Having the Kudo cards as an appreciation method at your company helps the entire team feel free to offer instant and honest feedback and share them as a public appreciation. This technique was designed to help deliver feedback and motivate people in the right way.

They are small cards with predefined text like “Thank you”, “Awesome”, “To improve”, that help you show gratitude or give fair criticism to a coworker.

How to practice the Kudo cards?

First of all, you can use a ready set of Kudo cards, or you can make your own: use blank cards and write down your thoughts. You can also make it online, there are different sites that allow you to do it online e.g: https://www.share-kudos.com/card-creator

You can use the Kudo cards in many ways, here are some of them:

• At the end of a particularly challenging task, where your team members were involved to make it happen. The best way to celebrate it is to use the Kudo cards;
• Sending a Kudo card to a colleague or a manager directly;
• Set up or get a Kudo box where you can put all your cards in. You can use your cards and share an appreciation with your colleagues in a meeting like a retrospective in a project or a challenging task;
• Create a Kudo wall where everyone can place their public appreciations, so everyone can see all the Kudo cards.

Should you try Kudo cards?

Implementing Kudo cards gives rise to challenges inside the teamwork. Your colleagues will do their best to accomplish great achievements. If you lack motivation or a monotony within your team, or if you want to give them a boost or motivation and energy, if they are not engaged enough with you or not interested, you can only try the Kudo cards. Thanks to this technique, you will create a spirit of gratitude and gratefulness and will make your team members feel great and appreciated for their hard work.

What do you need to keep in mind when using Kudo cards?

• The Kudo cards are about recognizing the little things. So, if you want to reward your team, keep the rewards small (to avoid high expectations);
• Keep it a surprise; no one knows about it or anticipate it;
• You can give Kudo cards in daily business, not only after accomplishing challenging projects;
• Not only the outcomes to thank for but also people’s behaviour.

Appreciations to the JediSquad team

We did use it at JediSquad and it enabled highly productive and meaningful interactions that resulted in building long-lasting loyal friendships.

This is Kudo Card I received that made it deep in my heart :

I hope you will practice Kudos cards soon and that you enjoy giving and receiving kudos from your colleagues and building stable great relationships with them.

To know more about this practice, you could find more details here: management30: kudo-cards

If you need any further help on making your organization well energized and more responsive to the markets, you can also contact us

More you know, more you grow :

We invite you to read more and learn more, here are some subject that might interest you: