Pioneering Excellence

Madison is a global leader in employee recognition and incentives, pioneering digital programs since 1995. As an employee-owned company, we deliver recognition, events, and incentive travel solutions that strengthen culture and drive results.

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employee traveling
What Actually Drives a Successful Incentive Travel Program After 20 Years in the Field
Incentive travel has never been about the destination. That may sound surprising in an industry that...
employees working together
Sustainability Without Operational Discipline Is Just Messaging
Sustainability is now standard language in meetings and incentive travel. RFPs reference ESG commitments....
Lake Tahoe
Planning a Corporate Retreat in the U.S.? Here’s Why South Lake Tahoe Belongs on Your List
South Lake Tahoe isn’t your typical meeting destination. Nestled where California and Nevada meet, this...

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Performance Management

Knowledge Center

Knowledge Center

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Blog

How Power Affects Performance

“Above and beyond having talented individuals, a group’s performance depends on whether its members cooperate with each other, communicate effectively, and put selfish interests aside for the good of the collective. Merely having superior talent is not enough for groups to be effective. Their members must also work together productively.”…

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Blog

Are You Naughty or Nice? (As a Boss That Is)

The quality of bosses (and the impact they have on their employees) is the biggest influence on organizational performance. Lousy bosses create confusion and stress; they contribute to higher turnover and lower productivity. When employees leave a company they often cite poor relationships with their superiors. On the other hand…

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Blog

3 Ways to “Serve Up” Employee Feedback

It’s no coincidence that the word “feedback” contains the root “feed.” Many business experts consider it “nourishment” for workers, and note that without a steady diet of it, the interest and enthusiasm of employees will wane. When dished out frequently (and digested properly) feedback provides talent with the substance they…

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Blog

SlideShare: How to Make Your Sales Team Perform Better

Almost half of sales professionals are not performing to plan and not contributing enough revenue to support their business’s growth goals. Why is that? What improvements should you help them focus on? This SlideShare will outline how to make your entire sales team perform better. How To Make Your Sales…

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Blog

The Two Biggest Problems With Manual Programs

Done right, employee recognition has a significant impact on business results. But not all attempts succeed. In fact, some fail miserably. The question is, why? When it comes to their employee recognition initiatives, bad companies commit many transgressions, but the biggest stems from a lack of automation. Less than half…

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people smiling and talking
Blog

How Engaged Employees Lead to Engaged Customers

In my last two posts I offered several stats that identified recognition’s impact on worker retention and productivity. To review, employee engagement triggered by the timely and consistent use of recognition, effects how profitable a company can become over time. Examining companies with higher levels of engaged employees uncovered noticeable…

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Performance Perspective

Supporting the Psychological Side of Sales Success

Consistent sales attainment can be a challenge for any organization. In fact, two out of every three salespeople will probably not meet their revenue goals set for them this year. Why is consistent sales success so elusive? What are the biggest barriers to sustained sales success? In this month’s Performance…

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Performance Perspective

How to Become the “Employer of Choice” for Contingent Workers

More and more people are choosing to make their living as contingent workers and companies are using them in record numbers. With freelancing becoming a bigger part of the labor mix, attracting and retaining contingents is critical to organizational growth. How can today’s organizations make contingent employees feel more supported…

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Performance Perspective

Congratulations, You’re a New Manager! Now what?

Less than 10% of newly named managers are prepared for leadership roles. They either lack, or fail to utilize the proper people skills needed to get off to a good start.. What can new managers do right away to become a better boss? How can social recognition help? In this…

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Performance Perspective

3 Ways Social Recognition Supports Organizational Teamwork

Employee teamwork is essential to business success. It influences everything from financial performance and customer satisfaction to employee engagement and productivity. However, today’s businesses are not doing enough to encourage teamwork throughout the ranks. How can companies get their employees to work together across the entire organization? In this month’s…

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The Myth of the Unbreakable High Performer
High performers are often described with an almost mythic quality: resilient, unstoppable, reliable, self-driven, limitless. They are the employees leaders depend on — the ones who say yes when others hesitate, who push harder, who deliver when the stakes are highest. But there’s a dangerous flaw embedded in this mythology: High performers are not unbreakable. They are simply quiet about the breaking. This misconception is costing organizations dearly.
Six Early Warning Signs Your Top Talent Is Quietly Burning Out
Burnout rarely erupts suddenly. It whispers long before it roars. And with high performers, the whispers are almost silent. Unlike struggling employees, high performers don’t telegraph their distress. They continue delivering, continue meeting deadlines, continue producing high-quality work — until the moment they can’t. By the time leaders notice something is off, the emotional damage is often months in the making. The challenge isn’t that high performers don’t show signs. It’s that leaders aren’t trained to recognize them.
Frontline Employees Don’t Go Silent — They Go Unseen
Frontline and deskless workers make up over 80% of the global workforce. They are retail associates, warehouse teams, manufacturing line staff, nurses, hospitality workers, and field technicians. They are also the employees least likely to be recognized. In our new white paper, The Disengagement Domino Effect, we outline why disengagement spreads fastest in frontline environments — and how one overlooked employee can quietly influence an entire shift.
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