Facility leaders know recognition matters. The problem is that most recognition is lazy—generic gift cards, safety T-shirts, “employee of the month” rituals that land for a few people and annoy everyone else. At his session at NFMT Remix in Orlando, Andy Gager gets to the uncomfortable truth most facility leaders recognize instantly: if you chart any department, it usually breaks into four groups—the 20 percent superstars, 40 percent steady performers, 30 percent developing talent, and the 10 percent who drain the room. And yet, he says, supervisors often spend 80 percent of their time on the most frustrating 10 percent, trying to “save” them, while the real leverage is in the 30 percent who can become your next rock-solid core—if you lead them on purpose.
