There is no more impactful way to help someone grow their confidence than by a leader telling a colleague or a direct report how grateful they are for their valuable contributions to the team. Seems simple enough and yet many leaders sometimes forget that important part of leadership. This past week I spoke with a young leader who shared his vision with me for his organization. What struck me was that he included in his mission the desire to create a strategy to show how to be more thankful. Was I really hearing this correctly? He felt that the organization didn’t do a great job in expressing gratitude and appreciation to the individuals who worked hard. The inability to establish routines and rituals of saying “thank you” was pulling the institution down.
There have been numerous studies on gratitude and how it has impacted organizations and teams. In a Harvard Medical school article a research study on gratitude was conducted:
“Researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania randomly divided university fund-raisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group — assigned to work on a different day — received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who told the fund-raisers she was grateful for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fund-raising calls than those who did not.”
Does your team or organization do a good job in displaying appreciation? Would the people you work with give the company high marks for being grateful? With Thanksgiving arriving this week in the U.S. it is an ideal time to think about ways of bringing appreciation and gratitude to our work worlds.
Showing appreciation to our team members builds a kinder and more connected workplace. Share on X5 Strategies To Help Leaders Express Appreciation and Gratitude:
1. Weekly Thank You Emails
A wonderful leadership ritual to establish is recognizing the valuable contributions of our team members in an end of the week email. Send the entire team or organization if it is small an email sharing the accomplishments of team members. Include all types of achievements. Even think about mentioning birthdays or special events in a team member’s life.
Weekly thank you emails to a team helps build a culture of gratitude. Share on X2. Host An Appreciation Lunch
You can never go wrong with food. Breaking bread with our team members helps leader build a deeper human connection with them. A lunch is a great opportunity to:
- Find out about a team member’s interests.
- Express publicly a leader’s gratitude for someone’s helpful contribution.
- Create team bonds and spirit.
- Show a leader’s personal side through sharing their interests and background.
3. Give Time Off
Flexibility is the name of the game for most of us and what a terrific way to reward someone for their perseverance than by offering them a paid day off. This particular way to recognize a team member will not only create good will but also provide rejuvenation away from the workplace for the person we are thankful for.
4. Hand Out Free Stuff
This is a ritual not to be missed! Giving out free items is so doable as well as a great way to recognize a job well done by a team. A leader can really get creative with giving free items:
- Starbucks or Dunkins cards.
- Books on leadership that a leader has on their bookshelf.
- Mugs or glasses.
- Bagels, cookies, candy.
5. Promote Or Give A Bonus
A team member who is deserving of a promotion or bonus will feel gratitude if their boss or colleagues fight for them. When we know that our boss believes in our abilities and wants the organization to show appreciation by promoting them we are leading by advocating.
How do you express gratitude or appreciation to the people you work with each day?
Love that the leader you’re working with wants to create a culture of gratitude! People sense when it’s missing and it is a way to authentically create a great place to work. The one caution I have is to express gratitude in a way that’s in alignment with the values and energy of the group. I worked for a company where the majority of the staff sat on “the floor” a big open area surrounded by management offices. Once a week the managers would take out a shopping cart, honk a horn and zip around the floor to deliver small gifts of thanks for a great week while recognizing (ie. announcing) specific contributions and successes to everyone. While the sentiment was spot on, and some loved it for the lightness and fun it brought to the office, it was also disruptive not to mention mortifying to some of the people who were being recognized. It’s so important to know what your people value and give them that. Best way to show gratitude for a job well done. Great ideas here! (Some of the people who got recognized on the floor with t-shirts, mugs filled with treats and other assorted things at my company would have LOVED the flex time off as you suggested here.)
Alli
You bring up such an important point in the way an organization shows gratitude. For sure leaders should align their appreciation strategies with the culture of their workplace. Embarrassing team members as you describe can backfire and display anything but gratitude. A great way to build a culture of gratitude for a team or organization is to ask for input from team members. Ask: What would be some ways you would want to be recognized for all your hard work and contributions? That way meaningful appreciation rituals can be cultivated.
Thanks Alli for your support and friendship!
Good stuff! Rather than an email, try a handwritten note, It has a dimension of personal warmth missing from tech speak. Gift certificate monthly for a family dinner out at a good restaurant helps spread the contagious culture of gratitude. That’s 12 employees and in 5 years, 60. Great multiplier. And yes, there’s very little that beats the gift of time off and away and a small “stipend” to go with it, Thanks,Terri, for hour good suggestions,
I love the idea of a handwritten note! It is just so important to show other people that their hard work and contributions really matter to us. Leaders need to bring humanity to our professional and personal lives. When we express thankfulness we are building trust and connections.
Thanks for stopping by and adding your wonderful additions Gary! Happy Thanksgiving!
This is a great list, Terri! I remember one of the most rewarding experiences I had as an agent was when my supervisor expressed his appreciation in front of my colleagues. I truly made me feel special and appreciated. Happy Thanksgiving!
You still remember how your supervisor made you feel and that is a sure sign of feeling appreciated. That brings up another point that you share regarding showing appreciation in public in front of our co-workers. Showing gratitude will often stay with us throughout our entire career.
Thanks for your story of gratitude LaRae! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!