Sales Leadership Speaker Ron Karr Sheds Light on The Secret to Staying Happy at Work

Best-selling sales author shares lessons from California Pizza Kitchen

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Feb 24, 2016, 08:24 ET

WESTWOOD, N.J., Feb. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) does a great job of empowering employees with its ROCK Awards Program, which celebrates CPK's core philosophy that its employees live by—Respect, Opportunity, Communication, and Kindness.

"As a motivational speaker and sales leadership expert, I love to witness inspiring events that spark motivation and action. One such event occurred recently at the California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) headquarters," said Ron Karr, president of Karr Associates, which helps organizations build high performance sales cultures through the concept of "Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way."

GJ Hart , CEO of California Pizza Kitchen, was brought in to prepare this well known brand for its "next chapter."

"People are your greatest asset, and I believe the single most important thing we can do as an organization is to empower, recognize and reward our people who are making a difference in our business. When you do that, they cheer each other on, support each other and produce results that create a better experience for our guests. The ROCK Award is one way we celebrate people who exemplify the core values of our organization. When everyone understands that they matter and demands excellence of themselves, we all win together," said Hart.

"CPK's CEO GJ Hart was hosting the Winter Meeting of the Chief Revenue Officer Mastermind Group (CRO), a group I facilitate, which consists of VPs and CEOs of high-growth companies looking to build high-performance sales cultures.

"During the meeting, GJ motioned for me to come join him. We went into the hall where the entire HQ staff was standing to salute this quarter's ROCK Award Winner," Karr said.

CPK says its success begins with its people and makes a point to appreciate and recognize those who bring them wins everyday. Studies have shown that the number-one motivating factor for all employees, including sales people, is recognition. CPK has discovered that when that recognition is celebrated by the entire staff, it generates an energy that radiates out to the restaurants and positively impacts customer experiences. Growing sales is all about customer experiences.

The ROCK Award is peer-to-peer recognition. The award is passed on by the previous quarter's ROCK winner, who picks the next winner.

This quarter's recipient is Tony Marciano, a Junior Network Admin. According to Andy Mai, CPK CIO, while Tony's value is his tech experience, even more valuable is his personality and work ethic.

"Skills mean little if you cannot work well with people. It's how you apply your knowledge that counts. Tony is known for doing whatever it takes to make things happen, and I can personally attest to that. It's exactly what I observed as he assisted the CRO Group," Karr said.

The ROCK award ceremony is powerful. First, in front of the entire HQ staff, they played a video of Tony's fiancée (who could not attend) giving a heartfelt congratulatory message. CEO GJ Hart joined the employees watching the video.

Tony's parents were asked to say a few words.

The ceremony wrapped up with Tony's boss (CIO Andy Mai) and others explaining why Tony deserved this award. To top it off, the recipient is always given presents representing their passions in life.

THE ROCK Wall

This ceremony takes place right in front of a giant ROCK that goes from floor to ceiling. On the ROCK are nameplates of the award's recipients. Tony's plate will be added to the ROCK shortly.

Congratulations to Tony Marciano on a job well done. Congratulations to CEO GJ Hart and his senior management team for creating an environment that brings out the best in people and celebrates their victories.

"It is this type of energy, invigoration, and motivation that is necessary to create customer experiences that help grow sales," Karr said.

Ron Karr's Five Employee Motivation Insights from California Pizza Kitchen

Studies show that employees want one thing even more than a raise: recognition.
GJ Hart believes in celebrating and recognizing employee achievements -- the ROCK Award is one example.
The ROCK Award celebrates employees who exemplify CPK's core values -- Respect, Opportunity, Communication, and Kindness.
They give gifts and invite that person's spouse and parents.
Employees are honored at such a high level, it permeates every aspect of the business and into the restaurants.

About Ron Karr, Leadership Speaker, Author and Strategist

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