Hello readers! I’m here to introduce you to our 2018 Quality Value Champion! It’s incredibly important for us to recognize our employees at Crystal D. One way we do this is with our Value Champion program. Each quarter, our employees nominate their coworkers for living out our five core values and a quarterly WOW Champ for each value is selected by managers. At the end of the year, the managers review the nominations of each WOW Champ and ultimately pick the next Value Champion and Grand Value Champion. We recognized a new set of Value Champions (VCs) at WOW Day back in January.
Each of our VCs has been selected as the person who best lived out one of our five core values: integrity, quality, respect, commitment, and passion. In addition to the recognition of being a winner, our VCs receive some awesome perks throughout the year including:
- A shiny crystal award presented to them at WOW Day
- Their name and picture on the Wall of Champions
- A reserved parking spot right in front of the building
- Extra days of PTO throughout the year
- An afternoon of fun in the sun with Chuck at the boat outing
- Eight different meals from Let’s Dish!
- $100 and an afternoon off to go holiday shopping
- Meetings with managers over breakfast to discuss how Crystal D can improve
- Help planning company events and community outreach
- Participating in New Employee Orientation (NEO) as a welcoming committee
That’s a lot of great stuff!
I had the chance to meet with Linda, our newest Quality Value Champion, to talk about how it felt winning the award and what it’s been like as a VC.
Alexis: Congratulations, Linda! How did you feel when your name was announced as the winner? Did you think you were going to win?
Linda: I was overcome with joy that I had finally won a Value Champion award. I’ve been named a quarterly WOW Champ multiple times over the years, but I’ve never gotten the big award. But that didn’t deter me from continuing to live out our values. I’ve never been in it for the recognition, just for the good feelings I get when I live out our values. I never thought I’d actually win, but it was an awesome feeling when I actually did!
Alexis: How did you feel when you were on stage and during the presentation of your award?
Linda: I was a combination of embarrassed and ecstatic. Embarrassed because I felt there were other people who probably deserved this more than me. But ecstatic because of the whole thing. I didn’t really know how I should react! My manager joked that he thought I would shed just one tear, but nope…no tears! I think I show my joy and happiness through my awkward disbelief and my grin! It felt so awesome to be recognized by my peers!
Alexis: What kind of impact do you want to make as a Value Champion?
Linda: I’m not 100% sure what kind of impact I want to make. But I do want to make sure that others know our actions shouldn’t be because we want to win an award at WOW Day but because we want to win daily. Living out our values shouldn’t be just to make ourselves feel good but to help each other overcome hurdles. Actions always speak louder than words.
Alexis: What are you looking forward to most now that you are a Value Champion?
Linda: I haven’t really thought about it yet. I want to meet with our group of VCs to learn what’s expected of us as a group and how we can help the company. I like that we have past winners in the group so they can share their prior experiences to help us bring about positive change.
Alexis: On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being “terrible” and 5 being “totally awesome,” how great is it to have a reserved parking spot?
Linda: I’d give it a 4.5 because I’m so used to parking on the other side of the building with the production crew that it’s a different feeling to park in the front! But I’m still very happy that I get a spot with my name on it. I think a lot of people growing up always wondered if they’d be able to climb the ladder high enough to get a spot with their name on it. That was always a far-fetched dream for me. But working at Crystal D made me realize that no matter how high or low you are on the totem pole, we’re all equals and we all have a shot at a parking spot with our name on it!
Alexis: OK, we’ve answered the serious questions. Now time for the fun ones. What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Linda: I’m not a big music person, so I don’t really have one! Trust me…if you ask me anything about music, I would have no idea. I can name some really popular songs or singers if I think about it long enough!
Alexis: If you were a superhero, what would be your superpower?
Linda: Probably flying or levitating. I always dreamed about being able to jump in the air and leap from building to building without falling!
Alexis: Is a hot dog a sandwich? Why or why not?
Linda: A hot dog is a sandwich because it’s a piece of meat stuck between two slices of bread. And you can add condiments which makes it even more like a sandwich. The best thing about hot dogs is they have no crust which I hate. I’m always pulling crust off my sandwiches!
Alexis: Which famous person, dead or alive, would you most like to have dinner with?
Linda: I don’t really have a preference.
Alexis: What’s your favorite cheesy pick-up line?
Linda: I don’t have a favorite really. And I’ve never used one in my life!
Alexis: If you could make any animal small enough to fit in your pocket, what animal would you constantly carry around?
Linda: I really like dragons. I would love to have a dragon, like Mushu from “Mulan.” My dragon would have the power of water because I’ve always been fascinated by oceans, lakes, rivers, and the many unseen wonders in their depths.
Alexis: If a genie granted you three wishes, what would you wish for? “Unlimited wishes” and “unlimited genies” are not allowed!
Linda: First, I’d like a trip to Korea to see the sights, eat their delicious food, learn their history, and do some shopping! Second, I’d like to be able to meet my grandpa. He passed away when I was around 6, and I never got to meet him. He lived in Thailand while my parents and I lived in the USA. I’ve only seen photos of him. Lastly, I’d like a money pot that always refills itself no matter how much I’ve taken out, thus solving all my money problems!
Thanks for chatting with me, Linda! And congratulations again on becoming the 2018 Quality Value Champion!
No Comments