Employee Recognition – Spotlight on Mike Camburn

This month we’re going to be talking about employee recognition- how important it is and all of the exciting and creative ways that organizations can do it. Because, as you can imagine, recognition is something that we all need and want, to varying degrees. It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ concept or a one-time occurrence- to be meaningful, it must be tailored to the individual or the situation and be consistent and reoccurring. We’ll offer ideas that range from no, to low, to high-cost methods of recognizing employee contributions, as well as some of the more interesting trends that we’ve seen.

But before we jump into this interesting topic, we wanted to share a method that is near and dear to us, and many other organizations- the Employee Spotlight. We have used the Employee Spotlight in our internal communications for years, primarily to share information, recognize individual milestones or achievements, or just shine a light on an employee that we really value. To start off the month, we’d like to publicly shine a light on one of our long-time employees, someone that we feel is always deserving of a spotlight and a pat on the back, Mike Camburn. Mike has been with FMP for over 14 years, leading projects, teams, and providing clients with strategic advice, best practices, and hands-on support.

Where it all began

A roommate’s suggestion, a SIOP conference, and several interactions later, Mike Camburn landed a position as FMP’s 2004 summer intern. Unbeknownst to him, this part-time positon would develop into a full-time career.

Oh, how time flies

Fast-forward 14 years, and a significant amount of growth has taken place, for both Mike and FMP. FMP is no longer a 15-person consulting firm, but an 85 (and growing) person consulting firm and Mike is now an Engagement Manager. Despite the changes, Mike loves that FMP has maintained the values and culture of empowerment, partnership, and entrepreneurship that make it such a special place to work.

More about Mike

Mike is one of several FMP employees who primarily work remotely. He resides in his hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with his wife and  three daughters. He travels to the DC area about once a week to meet with clients and colleagues. Remote work is one of many ways that FMP demonstrates a commitment to work-life effectiveness. But, Mike stresses that with this privilege comes great responsibility. In Mike’s words, “the burden of proof is on me every day to demonstrate that this arrangement is successful.” When asked to describe a leader that Mike has enjoyed working with, he cited several members of the FMP family, including FMP’s founder, Tim Barnhart. Mike said, “People often make problems more complicated than they need to be. Tim has a natural ability to approach problems that actually are complicated, and making them seem simple.”

Takeaways

When prompted to share advice he would give his younger self, without hesitation, Mike stressed the importance of maintaining both professional and social networks and connections. This is an area that Mike wants to continue to work on himself, because you never know who you may cross paths with again in the future or where the next opportunities may come from.

So, how does the story end?

Mike is excited to continue to grow with FMP, where he began his career and where each new, challenging, and diverse project, allows him to develop both personally and professionally.