Incentive - March/April 2012

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Longtime Travel Industry Exec Jumps Over to HelmsBriscoe Richard Harper, longtime MGM Resorts International sales and marketing executive and a highly popular figure in the travel industry, will join the meetings procurement and management firm. http://bit.ly/incRichardHarper

Learning the Dos and Don’ts Of Picking Incentive Luggage Incentive talks to George Cassius, owner of incentive luggage company Earth Gear, about what to look for in styles, features, materials, and even weight considerations. http://bit.ly/incLuggageTips

Prepaid Card Sales Grew 10 Percent in Second-Half ’ 11 Prepaid cards surged compared with the same period in 2010, according to a First Data analysis. There were particularly high jumps in sales of both quick-service and casual restaurant cards, but those for home furnishings struggled. Rising gas prices pumped sales of fuel rewards. http://bit.ly/incPrepaidSales

How Does a Wellness Program Impact Your Firm’s Bottom Line? A free live webinar on May 9, organized by Incentive and sponsored by National Gift Card, will show you a thoughtfully designed wellness program, including use of incentives, can reduce health-care costs and improve productivity. http://bit.ly/incWellnessWebinar

Flipping for Vivitar iTwist Camera Vivitar’s 14.1-megapixel i Twist VF536 digital camera offers a wide range of features at a value-oriented price. It has an articulated 2.4-inch LCD screen, allowing photographers to see and frame themselves before snapping a shot. Its wide-angle lens has five-times optical zoom. http://bit.ly/incVivitarCamera

The Forum Announces 2012 Leaders, Additional Research Aimia’s Patty Saari, the Forum’s 2012 president, says the group’s goal this year is to make its research more frequent, relevant, and useful to constituents, end-users, and the incentive industry. http://bit.ly/incForum2012

The Incentive Editorial Advisory Board

• Ira Almeas, President,
Impact Incentives and Meetings
• Michael Arkes,

President and CEO,
Hinda Incentives
• Dennis O. Borst,

President and COO,
Patriot Marketing Group
• Bill Boyd, President and CEO,
Sunbelt Motivation & Travel
• Karen Eglitis, Unit Business
Manager, Premium & Incentive,
Bose Corp.

• Gail Fitzgerald,

VP, Hotel Sales & Marketing,
CityCenter Las Vegas
• Chris Flatt, Executive
VP, Hotel Sales & Marketing,
Wynn Las Vegas
• Adrienne Forrest, Vice President,
Special Markets, Bulova Corp.

March/April 2012, vol. 186, No. 2—Incentive® (ISSN 1042-5195; USPS 799-880) is published six times per year by Northstar Travel Media LLC. Corporate and editorial headquarters: 100 Lighting Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094. Subscriptions: US—$59, Canada—$75, Foreign Surface—$95, Foreign Airmail—$195, Single Copies—$10. Copyright 2011 by Northstar Travel Media, all rights reserved. Postmaster: Send change of address to Incentive, PO Box 3610, Northbrook, IL 60065-9755. Periodicals mail paid at Newark, NJ, and additional mailing offices.

What’s the key to success when the pressure is on and stakes are high? What is the glue that keeps high-performers in sync with the mission? Victorious workplaces have one thing in common: solid coaching.

Even the best sports team cannot succeed without a coach who drives achievement. Top coaches provide clear goals and direction, building teams whose talent is cultivated and nurtured. Strategic coaching is required to lead teams to wins, and this extends to the manager-employee relationship.

Home Team Advantage “Home team advantage” is a sports term, but similarly in the workplace, employees with great management and support have the home team advantage. Great managers cheer on their teams with recognition and provide real-time feedback in order to drive them to perform to their highest potential.

Power Plays
Effective managers will
use their hardest-working
team members to spear-
head opportunities. When
managers mesh together
employees’ skills with pos-
sibility, they are employing
a strategy that maximizes
employees’ potential. Man-
agers who develop skills,
support employees’ new
ideas, and provide clear
goals and direction will
discover that employees will
grow when they are given
autonomy, as will the busi-
ness’ bottom line.

Team Huddles Great coaches and managers alike communicate clearly and openly, are aware of their team members’ skill sets, and use them effectively. Great managers give feedback every seven days to keep employees aligned to goals. Well-prepared employees head into challenges motivated to achieve results.

Star of the Game Recognition of good work reinforces the team, inspiring members to contribute and execute. Great managers use recognition on a specific, timely, and frequent basis to promote the behaviors that drive outstanding performance. Similar to a coach who praises the player with the game-winning goal, a manager should validate hard work.