You're getting your thank yous all wrong
How to Say Thank You
Last week my friend Dr Michael Larson (Pillar Leaders) made a great point about gratitude and appreciation at work.
We often do it alongside something else.
The email to our team member which thanks them for completing a task often looks like this…
Hi Tracy
This looks good thanks, I’ve made a few changes to your draft, could you put these through on the final version and send to the client?
Or this…
Hi Jamie
Thanks for completing the report. I’ve attached the tasks for the next phase – can you get them started before the end of the week?
These options are well-intended but dilute the thanks (and might not even be seen as thanks by the recipient because of the other content).
Now, don’t get me wrong, saying thanks AT ALL is a great thing so don’t feel bad. And if all your thank yous look like the above, keep reading to find out one simple trick to make your gratitude more meaningful and impactful.
Just say thanks
My favourite way to say thank you is with a handwritten note. But whatever your preferred format, the important thing is that when you say thank you, you should just do that - one interaction with one single purpose.
This means you'll give someone a call JUST to say thanks for something they did, or drop them an email that only says thank you. Keep the other ‘stuff’ for another email or call.
Finally, it can be easy to forget to say thank you to your team, especially with remote or virtual team members who you don't see on a daily basis.
Get into the habit of thanks by setting yourself a recurring phone reminder each Friday morning to say thank you to at least two people.
You never know whose day you might make.
"Appreciation can make a day - even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary"
Margaret Cousins
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