RecognizeGood

“We learned from others, and we applied those lessons. The bar keeps getting set higher and higher, [but] we have to function as ethically as we can.”

— Jerry Davis, CEO Goodwill Central Texas

The RecognizeGood Ethics Accelerator workshop series is offered monthly, focusing on DOING GOOD in our businesses from three key perspectives:

1. People Practices (company culture drivers)
2. Tone From The Top (leadership)
3. Individuals

This series will crowdsource the education process; illustrate a roadmap to making business better by illuminating examples of others who have gone above and beyond; connect like-minded Austin-area businesses; and educate on best practices.

Our November session will focus on People Practices, sharing techniques and examples for those driving culture programs in their businesses. Featuring:

• Scholley Bubenik: owner of Premier HR solutions with over 25 years of senior management experience, with a Master's Degree from the University of Texas in HR Leadership and recently published author of People Power: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Managing Human Capital.
• Bob Novello: executive director at Williamson County Institute for Excellence in Nonprofits and first director of the University of Texas Professional Development Center, developing and delivering professional development training classes including on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
• Along with other unique video perspectives from Austin-area business leaders!

Attendees will discover tools to improve talent acquisition, reduce turnover and add purpose to the employment offered by their organization, as well as to engage themselves and others through GOOD. Customers, vendors and business partners will have the opportunity to learn measurable, tangible ways business attendees are working to exceed expectations in the values they stand for, and understand the long-term investments being made in accountability, reputation and example.

Trade your feedback for a Certificate of Completion and two complimentary seats to the 2019 Ethics in Business Awards Luncheon, where all of Central Texas gathers to celebrate the absolute best of the best in ethical business examples.

Lunch will be provided! One CE credit for human resources professionals pending approval.

“We need to flock together. We need to help each other, inspire each other, motivate each other. We're not perfect - we all know that - but we can help each other be even better.”

— John Garrett, CEO Community Impact Newspaper

Rotary Club of Pflugerville has made an impact for 22 years and counting, supporting countless organizations in the Austin community. The club’s 55 members volunteer and support a variety of organizations including: Libraries of Love, Blue Santa, Pflugerville Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Youth Leadership Camp and Baylor Scott & White Cancer Center.

Each year, Rotary Club of Pflugerville also awards at least $25,000 in scholarships to local high school seniors. Additionally, the group completes a community project through a Distance Assistance Program (DAP) Grant. This included their work on Pfluger Park, where they added benches, a second volleyball court and an outdoor shower. With the presentation of this award, RecognizeGood provides the Rotary Club of Pflugerville with a heartfelt THANK YOU on behalf of the entire community.

“Who we are to each other in the world, and how we are to each other in the world - in business, in family, and in community - is just ... what ... matters.”

— Susan McDowell, Executive Director Lifeworks

As RecognizeGood develops over time - 11 years strong as of this year! - I’ve been entrenched in future-planning while trying to keep our normal programming up to snuff. This planning really hit full stride over the summer - the breakneck pace I’d grown accustomed to slowed down and each day was about strategic focus and foundational building.

Those efforts culminated in a strategic business plan that our board recently reviewed and passed. Beyond the strategic focus on adding value to our business-facing programming that I’ve already written about here, one of the bigger foundational pieces was a set of beliefs that RecognizeGood can stand on in concert with its mission of catalyzing a community-building movement through recognizing, rewarding and promoting good in all areas. While our founders and leadership have all somewhat intrinsically and informally known who we are at our core and the special spirit surrounding our programs for over a decade, putting our name on a set of beliefs is still a significant step toward our foundation. It’s one thing to know what you believe, something else to put those beliefs in writing, and something even more substantial to live them with each and every action throughout an organization - as anyone who’s been through our Ethics in Business award examination process can attest!

So what are these beliefs?

We believe in celebrating great examples of goodness, first and foremost. We believe the qualities of honesty, respect, fairness, justice and sustainability can and should be universally accepted as good. We believe that as organizations are made up of people, by taking care of people we can build sustainable organizations. We believe that building sustainable organizations is the most impactful way to build a supportive community. We believe in paying attention - attentiveness toward the good in your community, in your organization and in your individual life has myriad rewards. We believe that positive peer pressure is a good thing, and we believe that each of us in our community has the ability to exceed expectations by being proactive toward the pursuit of exceptionalism. At our core, we believe that goodness is a valuable tool - perhaps the most valuable tool at our disposal.
 

 - Joel Coffman, Executive Director at RecognizeGood