We're celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month with webinars that go beyond traditional recognition strategies. Our most recent, titled Recognition That Resonates, the session featured Joe Witte and Ryan Payne from Velocity Advisory Group, experts in behavioural science and leadership development. Their goal? Help organizations understand how to align recognition with different personality types to build stronger culture, trust, and retention.

Joe and Ryan shared an interactive and highly applicable framework that blends the DISC behavioural model with a bird-based system to make recognition more meaningful and tailored.

Why recognition matters

Recognition is more than a feel-good perk. It’s a critical driver of performance and culture. Employees who feel seen and valued are:

• 14% more productive
• 21% more profitable
• 31% less likely to voluntarily leave
• 89% more satisfied with their jobs

Recognition builds trust, motivates performance, and reduces stress and isolation—factors especially important as mental health awareness takes center stage. But as Joe emphasized, recognition must be personal to be powerful.

Common recognition mistakes

Even well-meaning recognition can fall flat if it's not timely, specific, or appropriate for the individual. Attendees in the session highlighted common missteps, including:

• Delaying praise: Recognition loses impact when it’s given too late. Timely acknowledgment reinforces positive behaviour in the moment.
• Being too vague: A generic “great job” doesn’t show awareness or appreciation of real effort.
• Only recognizing top performers: Consistency, effort, and quiet excellence matter too.
• Assuming everyone likes public praise: Some employees prefer private, one-on-one acknowledgment.
• Rewarding basic expectations: Recognizing someone for doing the bare minimum (e.g., showing up on time) can dilute the value of appreciation.

Understanding behaviour with DISC and “The Birds”

To help leaders better align recognition to each individual, Velocity Advisory Group introduced a simple, memorable tool: a DISC-based personality model mapped to four birds. Each bird represents a different behavioural style, and each prefers to receive recognition differently.

Eagle (dominant/driver)

• Traits: Goal-oriented, decisive, direct
• Recognition style: Motivated by public wins, visible metrics, and competitive goals
• Tip: Celebrate big achievements publicly and tie recognition to bottom-line results

Parrot (influencer/inspiring)

• Traits: Energetic, social, optimistic
• Recognition style: Fun, group praise, excitement
• Tip: Make it vibrant—think GIFs, parties, or enthusiastic shoutouts

Dove (steady/supportive)

• Traits: Empathetic, patient, calm
• Recognition style: Private, sincere, relationship-based
• Tip: A heartfelt thank-you note or one-on-one conversation goes a long way

Owl (conscientious/correct)

• Traits: Detail-oriented, analytical, precise
• Recognition style: Specific, thoughtful, and expert-focused
• Tip: Acknowledge the quality and accuracy of their work in a detailed way

Most people are a blend of styles, so the key is to observe and ask how each person prefers to be appreciated. Learn more about each style by watching the full webinar below.

Making it practical

You don’t need a massive overhaul to start improving recognition. Start with these strategies:

• Take a DISC or birds-style assessment to understand your own behaviour and recognition tendencies.
• Ask employees how they want to be recognized—then document it and make sure their managers know.
• Create mechanisms like recurring check-ins, coffee chats, or peer-nominated awards to build consistent habits.
• Try new formats or themes to keep recognition fresh.
• Adapt as your team grows because worked with five in-person teammates may not scale for 30 remote employees.
• Recognize above-and-beyond contributions or consistent excellence, not everyday expectations.

Ultimately, when recognition resonates with someone’s behavioural style, it drives deeper motivation, connection, and loyalty. It’s not about giving more—it’s about giving smarter.

Final thought

Recognition isn’t just about reinforcing performance—it’s about helping people discover what makes them special. When leaders personalize appreciation and create safe, motivating environments, they do more than improve engagement—they help people thrive.

Want to dive deeper into these strategies? Watch the full webinar here.