In our March 29, 2012, newsletter, we promised to tell another Coach Tom Izzo story. As promised, here it is. There was a janitor who allowed the MSU basketball players to shoot hoops in the field house after the normal hours of operation, as a favor for the coach. Turns out the janitor would also let the coach know which players were actually investing their personal time this way. When the Spartans won the National Championship, Coach Izzo, with a huge smile, said he gave the first championship ring to this janitor. Now, just think about the positive consequences of this classy move by the coach.

We probably all have janitors (or seemingly less-important team members) in our companies. Do we take the time to appropriately recognize them?