Recognising Excellence awards are intended to recognise and reward those who have demonstrated exceptional performance. This exceptional performance may have been on a one-off or short-term basis, or at a consistent level throughout the year. The scheme provides staff, managers and colleagues with the opportunity to nominate an individual or a team for an award.
Across the Faculty nominations were received for a number of individuals and teams, highlighting the fantastic efforts and dedication of many members of the Faculty support team. I was extremely proud to read such motivational and inspiring words about the team members, confirming to me, how together we complement each other to near perfection.
Rather than name the successful individuals or teams, I thought it would be useful to highlight where the nominations had matched against the criteria to be awarded against and how this links back to your Effective Behaviours Framework.
As you will be aware there are many criteria that a nomination can be set against, 15 in total. The following 12 were demonstrated this year:
- Management of a specific area of activity in a department/faculty resulting in significant improvement against appropriate metrics
- Achievement of income, cost or performance related targets for the department or sub unit
- Significant improvements in operational or service level agreement standards or operational efficiency
- Achieving consistently high levels of customer satisfaction
- Quality of work
- Controlling costs and improving cost effectiveness
- Minimising bureaucracy and streamlining procedures in a department/faculty or across the University
- Improvements in team working in a unit, department/faculty or across the University
- Demonstrating inspirational management of staff; motivating and leading by example
- Demonstrating exceptional teamwork and interpersonal skills; creating and maintaining excellent working relationships
- Contributing ideas and assisting in the implementation of a major change in efficiency, quality, cost reduction or achievement of departmental objectives.
- Exceptional leadership of – and input into – large scale projects with significant impact upon the University or across the HE sector.
Linking this back to the behaviours framework as a Faculty Team we were able to match the nominations against all 9 behaviours:
- Managing self and personal skills
- Delivering excellent service
- Finding innovative solutions
- Embracing change
- Using resources
- Providing direction
- Developing self and others
- Working with people
- Achieving results
It is important we embrace the behaviours, build them into your daily working life and remember to capture those moments where we as an individual or team are proud of the achievement made no matter how small it may seem.
I would like to thank you all for a fantastic 2015 and hope 2016 has many more pockets of glory and moments to be proud of.
