T.E.A.M.

2.1.10

We just announced our Employee of the Month for January. And I have to say, I'm incredibly proud of what occurred. The recipient, Kristina, is an operations specialist who had a really hard January. Her account had some major issues that required changing processes mid-stream. It involved adding many more steps and changing the way many things are done – all while keeping the orders on time and under budget. It was stressful, to say the least. But Kristina plowed through. She got deflated a bit and we watched as she struggled to keep her head up. She lost a bit of confidence, but she kept regrouping, convincing herself to dig in and try again. She never allowed herself to give up.

Her actions, by themselves, were remarkable. It's not easy to take a negative situation and turn it into a positive – but she did. And that is what earned her the award and recognition.

But what is more remarkable to me is how her coworkers responded. It wasn't just her immediate team – but her peers from all over the building. They recognized her struggle, they saw her efforts to overcome – and they, in essence, cheered her on. With their nominations, they lifted her up. They recognized that sometimes it's not the person on top of the world that deserves the praise – it's the person way down low, which just keeps chugging away, regardless of the curveballs thrown their way. By naming Kristina the Employee of the Month, they gave credence to the belief that if you dig in your heels and give that extra effort, it will be recognized. And for the month of January, it absolutely was.

In an economy where all is bleak, an industry where numbers continue to decline, and a season of bitter cold ... this stands out as a bright, warm ray of hope. A beautiful, colorful reminder that when we get knocked down, there will be others around to lift us right back up.

Congratulations on being January's Employee of the Month, Kristina. You worked hard and you deserved it.

And congratulations, also, to the Reindeer Team – those that nominated you, those who sent emails saying "chin up" and those who volunteered to help you with the tasks at hand. We have long had a credo of "TEAM: Everyone Achieves More" here at Reindeer … this month you brought that credo to life.