Tap Into the Power of Thanks
In many organizations, employees go through their days assuming their hard work goes unnoticed by co-workers and, especially, their bosses. Feeling this way, these employees will lose motivation, and productivity will be mediocre at best.
In a very real way, acknowledging employees' efforts and saying thanks can tip the balance between success and growth and stagnation and failure.
Always say thank you. The few seconds it takes to say thank you will improve another person's mood, day, and productivity level. You'll also be making yourself more approachable, and over time your team will relate to you more positively. I have found that expressing consistent and heartfelt recognition, when it's deserved, is a better long-term motivator than money.
Take intent into account. I often try to show my employees how much I appreciate them by sending high achievers to sports games, or highlighting various employees in company newsletters, or celebrating employees with company parties. Sometimes those parties were well received; other times they weren't. Inevitably, there will be some negativity; someone might say, "Gosh, the food at this party tastes horrible." I mention this as a reminder that despite negative feedback, showing gratitude is always the right thing.
Start being more open. If you're a leader, constructively tell your people how they can improve their performances. If you're a team member, be proactive about asking your co-workers and bosses how you are doing and how you can get better at your job. No matter what your position is, learn how to receive constructive criticism.
Showing others that you care enough to offer help or that you want to improve yourself is a form of gratitude, because you're demonstrating that the team is worth you investing time, energy, and further effort.
Learn to graciously accept thanks. How you respond to appreciation is important. If you aren't comfortable accepting compliments or thanks, even if it's because you'd rather stay out of the spotlight, eventually you'll stop hearing "thanks" altogether. Whenever someone thanks you or notices something positive about you, try to engage with her and let her know what her words mean to you.
Keep the gratitude going outside your organization. Thank your customers or the people you serve for choosing your organization, and for trusting your team with their money, health, products, or publicity, to name a few examples. This is something that clients don't often hear, so when they do, their loyalty to your company is strengthened. Consider offering discounts, coupons, or promotions to show customer appreciation.
Use gratitude to reinforce stellar performances. Using gratitude to shape your team's habits and priorities can be every bit as valuable as attending training programs and industry conferences—at a fraction of the time and cost.
Whenever I see an employee going out of his way to make sure the product a client purchased was the best possible value, I thank him for doing it. If a store manager makes a mistake and informs me about it, I thank her for that, too. Never forget that whatever you acknowledge positively will be repeated.
Throughout my years as a leader, I've been amazed by the power of thanks. Gratitude is a surprising motivator; it strengthens employee and customer loyalty, and it really can allow you to see a positive change in your company's bottom line, especially in today's not-so-stellar economic environment. It's extra important to give your people something to be positive about and thankful for.
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