The Most Important Value Learned in Hockey

As the Minor Hockey season winds down we are reminded that minor hockey instills an important life skill in our youth. Sportsmanship is important in any sport but in minor hockey, it is especially significant. Youth hockey players need to develop a strong appreciation of the game. Practicing sportsmanship will help players have fun, stay active and sharpen skating skills.

Who Should Practice Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship in minor hockey isn't limited just to players. Coaches, parents, officials, and spectators must set an example for young players.  Fairness in game play time, despite size or skill level is an important aspect of establishing an example that all players will follow. Spectators need to remember that these are children playing and that no one's NHL career is made or broken during a single game or even a single season.

It's about Core Values
Sportsmanship develops a strong character. Hockey players learn respect. Showing respect to other players, teammates, and coaches establishes a strong sense of character. Respect spills into other attributes. Responsibility, determination and integrity each weigh into the value of sportsmanship.

It's about Fun
Youth athletics are rewarding but they also instill a sense of fun. Good sportsmanship ensures that the game provides a safe experience for participants and families. Winning isn't everything. Coaches and parents need to stress to young players that building skills and having fun should be a top priority.

Establish a Code
Adults and minor hockey participants should understand the elements of fair play. Many leagues require parents, coaches, and players to sign a conduct agreement before play begins. Most agreements include these standards:

• Respect rules
• Respect opponents
• Respect officials and decisions made
• Keep self-control
• Support teammates and allow everyone time on the ice

Sportsmanship is key to all athletic endeavors. Learning how to be respectful and how to have fun will be lessons minor hockey players can use on and off the ice for the rest of their lives.

Aran Awards Hockey Sale is on now!

What is Employee Engagement anyway?

Today in North America job satisfaction is at an all time low with fewer than 1 in 3 people being engaged at work. In the past 25 years a marked loss of "job satisfaction" has put less then 35% of people happy or proud of their work, the environment they work in or their current position within a corporation.

Disengaged employees cost the North American economy up to $350 billion per year in lost productivity.

What can be done?

GREAT leaders need to focus on engaging employees with :

GROWTH

• Meet one-on-one to assess the career goals of your employees
• Acknowledge what skills, experience and knowledge they need in order to identify those goals
• HELP them to identify ways to close the gaps between their goals and the where they are now in their career
• Offer mentorships, job rotations, meetings and job training

RECOGNITION

• Show appreciation readily, but make sure it is deserved
• Don't just say it or use email. Written notes are highly valued
• Offer recognition in public or with their peers or a boss present
• Ask people their opinion; get them involved

TRUST

• Your words and deeds must match
• Be transparent; share the bad news along with the good news
• When you make a mistake; acknowledge it
• Never say anything about a person that your wouldn't say to their face
• Constantly remind everyone of the Big Goal and the Plan that will get them there

The Pressures of Being a Minor Hockey Goaltender

IN THIS DAY AND AGE, you might think of minor hockey as one of the safest sports around. After all, the equipment of today is lighter and more protective than ever.

The irony is that while the padding players wear is more advanced than it has ever been, the pressure that players find themselves under has only escalated. The player under the greatest stress on a daily basis is the goalie, the last line of defence. Once the puck gets past the grasp of the goaltender, a goal is scored, and the pace of the game changes immediately.
While some goalies handle stress better than others, the bottom line is that the tension always exists, and, unlike the rest of the team the person in net has no one to fall back on.


Goalies are often referred to as a “different breed” for good reason; not every kid is up to the awesome task. Behind the pipes, the goalie is often the last hope that a team has and can make, or break, the outcome of a game, and sometimes the greatest game-to-game competition they face is to a chance to play in the crease.
Goaltending is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Way to GO!

Recognition goes far beyond a paycheck. Great recognition can spark a revolution that motivates your team to go above and beyond, from required to remarkable. Employee motivation can be as individual as the people who work for you.

Unfortunately, motivating people is far from an exact science. There's no secret formula, no set calculation, no work sheet to fill out. In fact, motivation can be as individual as the employees who work for you. One employee may be motivated only by money. Another may appreciate personal recognition for a job well done. Still another may work harder if she has equity in the business.
But you can boil down employee motivation to one basic ideal: finding out what your employees want and finding a way to give it to them or to enable them to earn it.

Employers often fail to realize that some of the most effective things they can do to develop and sustain motivated, committed employees cost very little or nothing at all.

• Interesting work. No one wants to do the same boring job over and over, day after day. And while any job will always require some boring, repetitive tasks, everyone should have at least a part of their job be of high interest to them.
• Information. Information is power, and employees want to be empowered with the information they need to know to do their jobs better and more effectively. And, more than ever, employees want to know how they are doing in their jobs and how the company is doing in its business.
• Independence. Few employees want their every action to be closely monitored. Most employees appreciate having the flexibility to do their jobs as they see fit.
• Increased visibility. Everyone appreciates getting credit when it is due. Occasions to share the successes of employees with others are almost limitless.

Say THANK YOU to your employees today.

Motivating Employees: 3 Unusual Things GREAT Bosses Do

Where employees are concerned, great leaders don't take. Great leaders give--especially these three things:

They give unexpected attention.
Everyone loves attention. Unfortunately you don't have unlimited time to devote to each employee.
So make the most of the time you do have. Don't just comment on the big stuff, the stuff you're supposed to focus on.
Notice a small detail. Praise a particular phrase she used to smooth the transition from customer conflict to problem resolution. Praise how he swung by another employee's desk to grab paperwork he could deliver on his way to another office. Pick something small, something positive, something helpful--something unexpected--to show you really pay attention.
Pick out details and employees know you're watching--in a good way--and not only will they work harder, more importantly they will feel better about themselves.
They give employees a break.
He messed up. Badly. Not only are you a little pissed, this is a teachable moment. You feel compelled to talk about it, possibly at length.
Don't. For a good employee, the lesson is already learned. Catch his eye, nod, let it go, and help him fix the problem.
Once in a while employees can all use a break. When they get one they never forget it. And they try really hard to show they deserved that break--and to make sure they never need another one.

They give an undeserved compliment.
Compliments don't always have to be earned. Sometimes a compliment can be like a self-fulfilling prophecy
.
When you see something in employees that they don't see--at least not yet--they often try hard to fulfill the belief you have in them.
That happened to me. I went out for debating in ninth grade and was nervous, scared, intimidated--pick any fearful adjective. It fit. A week or so into practices I heard the teacher talking to one of the seniors. "That kid there," he said, referring to me, "will be a champion by the time she's a senior."
He was wrong. It turned out I wasn't. But I immediately felt more confident, more self-assured, and incredibly motivated. Those feelings lasted for a long time.
He believed in me.
And I started to believe in myself.

Core Values in Hockey

It’s important for kids to be part of a team and know how to work with others and to achieve a common goal. In the workplace you often have to work with a team and you can take all of the values you learn in your team sports and bring them into team situations in the workplace and in life.

Students who are involved in activities outside of school like hockey are generally happier and more responsible.  Hockey can give children the opportunity to learn core values outside of the classroom that can be applied to all aspects of life.

It's equally important to reinforce these values and team building activities with rewards. Aran Awards & Engraving has over 100 amazing Hockey cups, medallions and trophies.

Aran Awards is Proud to Support Novice Hockey

In every arena where there’s a rink, you will hear the swishing sounds of skates tearing up and down the ice. You can hear the sound of a whistle echoing throughout the rink. You will see parents sitting on the edge of cold, unforgiving seats as they watch their child performs drills for their coach. The child has worked hard for months, on and off the ice. They have expended all their energy in hopes of making to the next level of competition.

Aran Awards & Engraving is proud to support Minor Hockey here in Hamilton.

Working at Happiness

A happy employee is a more productive employee.  But how to make them happy is the challenge. Many take the goal too personally and try to build staff contentment through personal relationships.

Professional growth People want to stretch, to develop their natural talents, feel their life has a narrative and is going somewhere. When they feel that they are growing, they may be exhausted but they're also inspired, energetic, and willing to take on a great deal. Anyone who reports to you (and anyone who reports to them) should have a professional development plan. That will keep everybody engaged, busy, and--eventually--happy.

Strong community Everybody wants to be proud of where they work, to feel that they are investing the most precious thing they have--time--in something that matters.Superficial social-responsibility projects won't fill this gap for you. You need to create direct links between the success of the business and the community you serve. These need to involve the entire work force and should be active, public, visible, and long lasting. Many companies get their staff to choose the causes or charities they support. The more they're engaged in these commitments, the more meaningful they will be to them--and your company community.

Fair treatment "Everybody here is somebody." The owner or manager knows everyone's name--even the names of everyone's kids and pets. This kind of fair--and kind--treatment also means startlingly low turnover rates, which also saves money. But it's not really about the money.

The very best companies honor these principles and enact them lavishly. They don't pay lip service, and they don't do the bare minimum; they go overboard. They do so because they know the secret of leadership: Look after the people, and the people look after the business.

Check out Aranawards.com for more great rewards for you & your team.

The Gold Star

Sometimes people are screaming for recognition without anyone noticing. You’d be surprised what kind of difference recognition will make, if only you could recognize the signs that people crave it.
There is always room for employee reward and recognition activities that generally build positive morale in the work environment. The Pall Corporation, in Ann Arbor, MI, has had a "smile team" that meets to schedule random, fun employee recognition events. They have decorated shop windows, with a prize to the best, for a holiday.

They sponsor ice cream socials, picnics, the "boss" cooks day, and so on, to create a rewarding environment at work. Another company holds an annual costume wearing and judging along with a lunch potluck every Halloween.
Special occasions, National Holidays and birthdays aren’t the only times people deserve a pick-me-up. Anniversaries are a great time to give someone the recognition they’ve always deserved. Try to remember to give employees the recognition they deserve every time the anniversary of their start with the company rolls around.

If you attach recognition to "real" accomplishments and goal achievement as negotiated in a performance development planning meeting, you need to make sure the recognition meets the above stated requirements. Supervisors must also apply the criteria consistently, so some organizational oversight may be necessary.
The challenge of individually negotiated goals is to make certain their accomplishment is viewed as similarly difficult by the organization for the process to be a success.

It’s usually not hard to tell when someone is having a rough week. I call it the slump because usually said individual slumps down into their chair and wears the same stone cold, glossed over look on their face. If you ever spot the slump, it’s time give that person some positive energy!
People also like recognition that is random and that provides an element of surprise. Monday is always a hard day. No one likes coming down from the dream land that is the weekend. It’s the perfect day to praise someone and give them that extra pep in their Monday step.

Find out more tips, rewards and awards at aranawards.com & on our facebook page.

Olympic Fever

The 2012 summer Olympics begin in less than 1 day. The race for the gold, silver and bronze began months and even years ago for many of these athletes. Olympians throughout the years have inspired patriotism and achievement in more than just sports. Whether they compete in Judo, swimming or gymnastics, these top performers from around the world deserve to be rewarded. The olive wreath was the prize for the winner at the Ancient Olympic Games. It was an olive branch, of the wild-olive tree that grew at Olympia, intertwined to form a circle or a horse-shoe. From 241 participants representing 14 nations in 1896, the Games have grown to about 10,500 competitors from 204 countries at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

How can you translate these inspirational achievements into a reward system for your business?

Games and Rewards are an amazing way to creatively team build and network for both adults and children.

Indoor Games:

• Paper plane folding and throwing
• Hoopla
• Obstacle course
• Discus (using paper plates)
• Beanbag Toss
• Hallway Dash

Of course no Olympic Games can be complete without awarding medals and a closing ceremony. If possible, find some boxes so that medal winners can stand high to get their applause! Plan to give everyone a medal for something.