So what's so great about using crystal for awards? Aren't crystal awards kind of expensive, old-fashioned and delicate? Well, let's look at that.
First off, people do tend to get bamboozled by the word crystal. It has a meaning - but not the meaning some expect.
The history books say that folks started using the edge of volcanic glass as tools and weapons about 75,000 years ago. But it took another 70,000 years before they were able to make their own glass - the Patent Office was probably on holiday or something.
The problem - really - was that the melting point of glass is pretty high - 3100 degrees F. The Egyptians added ashes and alkali to the silica and reduced the melting point, so they were very early glass makers. The Romans, as usual, took a good thing and improved it - they discovered how to blow glass inside a mold, creating a whole new line of glass consumer products.
Here comes the tricky part. In Renaissance Europe, artisans had been using rock crystal to make chandelier components. But increased costs pushed them to make their components in glass, so the person-made components naturally kept the name "crystal".
An Englishman called Ravenscroft created something he called flint glass by adding lead oxide to glass production, achieving a new level of brilliance, clarity and refractive ability (and a bunch of headaches for OSHA.)
Ravenscroft wrote that he aimed to develop "a particular sort of Christaline Glass resembling Rock Christall". Flint glass came to be known as "lead crystal". But flint glass/lead crystal does not have the crystalline structural properties that lead to us calling rock crystal "rock crystal".
Anyway, rules were set up so that glass with a certain percentage content of lead oxide was allowed to be called "lead crystal" as an indicator of product quality.
Newer technologies from the late 20th century (that was the last one) created glass with the optical quality of the finest "lead crystal" without the use of lead oxide.
Just as the cave folk of 75,000 years ago developed their new technology through an earmarked grant from the Department of Defense, so today optical crystal has come down to us from defense-related research. Optical crystal (or optical glass) is used primarily for eyeglasses and telescopes and other military purposes.
So we could could call optical crystal optical glass - but given the weight given the word "crystal" it doesn't seem fair to deny it to the new medium. Optical crystal is a fabulous material, as it allows spectacular results, it can be finished to a stunning clarity and faceted to high tolerances. The raw material itself is made in blocks, and we cut from the block to extract award shapes. The quality of the material can be seen in the block - no bubbles, no flow marks. And when it is finished its hardness lends itself to sharp facets and perfectly executed angles.
We'll go on to discuss the beauty of using optical crystal for award, paperweight and gift purposes. Stay with me!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Recognition in an anonymous world
The recognition industry is one of those phenomena that one stumbles upon and thinks - oh, people actually do this for a living??
It is an intentionally hidden industry - because when that person gets their moment in the spotlight it is their moment to shine - not to advertise the product in their hand or the many folk whose efforts made that moment possible. We have all heard of the Oscars, but how many know the name of the company that has been making them these many years?
Obviously the industry is hidden for a reason, but that creates a problem when it comes to time to think about how give recognition to your clients or employees or suppliers - or your kids' best teachers! How do you find these products and the suppliers? Would your people like one of those plastic sports trophies, or a mass-produced poster that says "You're so unique, and I really care, really!"
Just as they teach all kinds of stuff at school but they don't teach the important stuff, like how to love and discipline your kids or how to keep a happy family life, so when we are learning about how to run a business it is often the human part of the equation that gets short shrift.
So there are companies that attempt to fill that gap. There are trophy dealers and awards companies that make the physical products, distributors who work with companies to develop their award presentations, and incentive and recognition specialists who try to improve the whole company culture.
The goal is to make the company more effective and profitable of course, and the path to that destination goes through making employees feel more valued and motivated to succeed.
It may be that you only need the physical product - or it may be that your company culture needs a good shake up. That's your call.
If you do decide to institute a recognition program there are companies that are expert at holding your hand through the decision-making process. Do you want to "incent" the entire company, or a key division? Do you want to market the program to your people as an ongoing multi-year addition to the corporate culture? Do you want to create award events at exotic locations? There are a thousand questions - but it's good that someone asks them. And the experts have means of extracting the truth from you - the client.
One fork in the road is the cash or goods question: do you want to reward success with a cash bonus or with a tangible and publicly presentable gift or award?
Another is the branded products versus awards question: do you want to offer a famous-brand high prestige commodity, or some form of personalized award? The former leads to using an incentive company, the latter leans toward a recognition distributor.
So now you've come to realize that there are dozens of companies that perform different and highly specialized functions in this mysterious business called the recognition industry. One way to go from here would be to contact a recognition specialist and see if you click. You could also begin the process of thinking about the awards products and how you envision them being presented, by, say, googling "recognition awards" to start.
Above all this is a good opportunity to reflect on the intersection of employees' lives and your organization, and how outcomes could be improved for both of you. Maybe happier workers would really be more motivated, and more motivated workers would really help your organization succeed in a highly competitive world! (There is plenty of objective research which backs that up.) And often those goals can be achieved through a smart recognition plan.
It is an intentionally hidden industry - because when that person gets their moment in the spotlight it is their moment to shine - not to advertise the product in their hand or the many folk whose efforts made that moment possible. We have all heard of the Oscars, but how many know the name of the company that has been making them these many years?
Obviously the industry is hidden for a reason, but that creates a problem when it comes to time to think about how give recognition to your clients or employees or suppliers - or your kids' best teachers! How do you find these products and the suppliers? Would your people like one of those plastic sports trophies, or a mass-produced poster that says "You're so unique, and I really care, really!"
Just as they teach all kinds of stuff at school but they don't teach the important stuff, like how to love and discipline your kids or how to keep a happy family life, so when we are learning about how to run a business it is often the human part of the equation that gets short shrift.
So there are companies that attempt to fill that gap. There are trophy dealers and awards companies that make the physical products, distributors who work with companies to develop their award presentations, and incentive and recognition specialists who try to improve the whole company culture.
The goal is to make the company more effective and profitable of course, and the path to that destination goes through making employees feel more valued and motivated to succeed.
It may be that you only need the physical product - or it may be that your company culture needs a good shake up. That's your call.
If you do decide to institute a recognition program there are companies that are expert at holding your hand through the decision-making process. Do you want to "incent" the entire company, or a key division? Do you want to market the program to your people as an ongoing multi-year addition to the corporate culture? Do you want to create award events at exotic locations? There are a thousand questions - but it's good that someone asks them. And the experts have means of extracting the truth from you - the client.
One fork in the road is the cash or goods question: do you want to reward success with a cash bonus or with a tangible and publicly presentable gift or award?
Another is the branded products versus awards question: do you want to offer a famous-brand high prestige commodity, or some form of personalized award? The former leads to using an incentive company, the latter leans toward a recognition distributor.
So now you've come to realize that there are dozens of companies that perform different and highly specialized functions in this mysterious business called the recognition industry. One way to go from here would be to contact a recognition specialist and see if you click. You could also begin the process of thinking about the awards products and how you envision them being presented, by, say, googling "recognition awards" to start.
Above all this is a good opportunity to reflect on the intersection of employees' lives and your organization, and how outcomes could be improved for both of you. Maybe happier workers would really be more motivated, and more motivated workers would really help your organization succeed in a highly competitive world! (There is plenty of objective research which backs that up.) And often those goals can be achieved through a smart recognition plan.
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