Recognizing Success: A Week of Wins, Remote Realities, and the Power of Employee Recognition in Today’s Workplace

In the ever-changing world of work, the spotlight on employee recognition is shining brighter than ever. This rings especially true in the realm of remote work, where the need for employees to feel appreciated is like the secret sauce to keeping the team happy and thriving. According to a recent survey by OnePoll on behalf of Bonusly, a whopping 46% of U.S. workers hit the exit button because they didn't feel the love at work. Talk about a wake-up call for the importance of recognition, right?

And guess what? The recognition train has been making stops at my station too! Last week brought a double dose of career awesomeness. First up, my team effort with EY (Ernst Young - our tax advisor) snagged us a shiny incentive from the tax office, giving our company a sweet tax advantage. The cherry on top? The finance management team gave me a virtual high-five in the form of the ABCD (Above and Beyond Call of Duty) Award. 

Game On: How Playing Video Games Can Boost Your Professional Skills

I had an extraordinary week with a busy agenda at work. When it came to the end of the office hour (of course, a little bit later than the official office hour), I had the “chance” to run our PS5 (not “mine” because it is originally a gift to my son) and play an online match in a Turkish League tournament in eFootball. I chose my favorite team, Beşiktaş, and lost 0-5 to Galatasaray. I accepted it as a fair result since I didn’t have the opportunity to practice for a long time, and the opponent’s team had better stats and stars than mine. Then I went to another one. This time my opponent was a different user again, with Galatasaray. The original match time ended 1-1, and in the extra time, I scored a last-minute goal. As a celebration ceremony, I chose Golazo, and I was screaming at home while enjoying the goal celebration. I went for another match, and in my third match, I played against Fenerbahçe. I started really well this time (maybe it is because of my opponent’s poor performance) and scored two early goals. Then the opponent directly quit the match, and it was officially recorded as a 3-0 win for me.

After these three matches, I shut down the PS5 and left home to hit my daily 10,000 steps target. I was feeling really good, like a derby winner pro when I started to walk down the street. That was the feeling!

This Saturday morning, while feeding myself with some Forbes articles, I came across content about game skills and careers: https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcperna/2023/11/14/why-more-employers-want-to-hire-people-based-on-their-video-game-skills/?sh=4c19fbbf472e

Now, let me share my highlights from this Forbes article by Mark C. Perna.

Riding the Waves of Success: Lessons from Alexis Ohanian

The Entrepreneurial Mindset for Achieving Career Growth

In the world of career and personal success, Alexis Ohanian is a name that stands out. As the co-founder and former executive chairman of Reddit, co-founder of an early-stage venture capital fund, a partner at Y Combinator, and a Fast Company's "Most Creative People in Business" honoree, he certainly knows a thing or two about achieving both professional and personal goals. Oh, and did I mention he's also Serena Williams's husband?

So, what can we learn from Alexis Ohanian about achieving our career aspirations and embracing the right mindset for success? Let's dive into the wisdom he shares:

Unlock Your Career Potential: Introducing "The Professional's Playbook"

Are you ready to take your career to the next level, achieve your professional goals, and become the best version of yourself in the workplace? If the answer is yes, then "The Professional's Playbook: Navigating Your Career Journey" is the guide you've been waiting for.

In this insightful and empowering book, Volkan Yorulmaz brings together a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you navigate the intricate terrain of your career. Drawing from the wisdom of best-selling authors and thought leaders, Yorulmaz offers you a comprehensive roadmap to success, providing practical advice and strategies for every step of your professional journey.

Your Next Five Moves | Patrick Bet-David

If I would need to share the best book I read in 2023, it is "Your Next Five Moves" by Patrick Bet-David. I found this book from the best sellers in Amazon business books list and I read it during a time where I need to answer some key questions in my career and set a new strategy for the upcoming performance review cycles. 

Let's leave the personal things and focus on this great book and its author.  According to Patrick Bet-David, "The only thing separating us from greatness is a vision and a plan for achieving greatness. When you’re fighting for a cause, a dream, something greater than yourself, you will find the enthusiasm, passion, and joy that make life a great adventure. The key is identifying your cause and knowing who you want to be." Who am I? A short question but the answer needs a long thinking. 

From my point of view, Patrick Bet-David's "Your Next Five Moves" has 2 main take-aways. First, get into the habit of thinking five moves ahead in everything you do in business.  Just working to try and do that will lift your game and lead to greater success. Second, in every industry, 80 percent of the players will be actors, and only 20 percent will be doers. The key to positioning yourself firmly in the doers camp is to be continually investing in learning and growth. Invest in yourself. Think five moves ahead.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things | Ben Horowitz

In the last days of the summer'23, I saw my colleague's (Dr. Philipp Moser) post in Linkedin about the book by Ben Horowitz: "The Hard Thing About Hard Things". It is a book with many experiences from Ben and the book brings a new perspective to you and make you learn what is going on in the top management side of the business.

Here we go with my highlights from the book:

“This the real world, homie, school finished. They done stole your dreams, you dunno who did it.” —KANYE WEST, “GORGEOUS”

From Communist to Venture Capitalist

Father turned to me and said, “Son, do you know what’s cheap?” Since I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, I replied, “No, what?” “Flowers. Flowers are really cheap. But do you know what’s expensive?” he asked. Again, I replied, “No, what?” He said, “Divorce.”

By doing everything, I would fail at the most important thing. It was the first time that I forced myself to look at the world through priorities that were not purely my own. I thought that I could pursue my career, all my interests, and build my family. More important, I always thought about myself first. When you are part of a family or part of a group, that kind of thinking can get you into trouble, and I was in deep trouble. In my mind, I was confident that I was a good person and not selfish, but my actions said otherwise. I had to stop being a boy and become a man. I had to put first things first. I had to consider the people who I cared about most before considering myself.

Until you make the effort to get to know someone or something, you don’t know anything. There are no shortcuts to curiosity.

The Culture Code | Daniel Coyle

Honestly, "The Culture Code" is not one of those books that I will recommend someone to read but it has well chosed quotes that I wanted to carry to my blog. Anyway, I respect to the authoe Daniel Coyle's effort. So here you may find them: 

Individual skills are not what matters. What matters is the interaction.

They are not competing for status. They stand shoulder to shoulder and work energetically together. They move quickly, spotting problems and offering help. They experiment, take risks, and notice outcomes, which guides them toward effective solutions.

They are tapping into a simple and powerful method in which a group of ordinary people can create a performance far beyond the sum of their parts.