Businesses of all sizes spend millions of dollars for training classes, retreats and special team meetings. Company executives spend countless hours developing vision and mission statements. There are reams and reams of goals and action plans targeting success. For many companies, the work pays off. But in too many instances the work falls flat and misses the mark.
Two examples illustrate the problem:
At Company A, a public relations manager secured significant media publicity about the high quality of the company’s products and services, which led to a significant increase in new customer inquiries. The articles and a report on their impact were sent to the CEO. The PR manager never heard about his success again.
At Company B, a group of employees returned from a conference where their presentation was well received. It helped them secure funding to continue an important program for years to come. It was a major victory. When they returned to the office, rather than hearing “Great job!” it was business as usual, with no comments on what they had achieved.
What’s wrong?
Nobody said “Thank you.”
Beyond being polite and making people feel good, a heartfelt, sincere “thank you” for a job well done gives your company advantages:
- When employees are thanked, they know they are appreciated. A happy employee is a more productive one.
- When employees are thanked, they feel empowered to accomplish more.
- When employees receive praise for good work, they’re also more receptive to constructive criticism and feedback.
- When employees know their boss is appreciative, they’re more willing to raise important issues and seize opportunities to enhance the business
Looking for times to show appreciation is often the first step to improving performance and morale. Once you’re in the “thank you mode” try remembering special occasions — a birthday, a holiday, or an anniversary.
Remember: you hired people whom you want to excel. You didn’t hire a resume or a machine. The Golden Rule can be your best business investment ever.
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I found over the years that many times I would call on a customer just to say hello and would ask if their is something I could help them with. There would always be something they were thinking of doing but just had not called me.
Posted by: Supra TK Society | March 15, 2011 at 04:14 AM