Hand writes the word thank youThanksgiving is quickly approaching. In the United States, it is a day spent with family, eating turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie while watching the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and (American) football on TV.

 

It is also a day to reflect on, acknowledge, and express our gratitude to others. Of the many ways to show gratefulness, the simplest way is to just say, “Thank you!”

 

 

Lack of Recognition in Our Personal and Professional Lives

Everyone leads busy lives and we often assume that those around us know how much they are appreciated. It isn’t that we aren’t grateful; it’s just that we forget to express it as often as we should.

 

People want feedback, especially positive feedback. At work, employees want to know they are, at a minimum, meeting their manager’s expectations. Taking time to thank an employee shows them that you are paying attention to what they do and how they contribute to the organization.

 

“More than ever, companies are focusing on culture as a competitive differentiator. They’re seeing first-hand how cultivating the right culture can engage, nurture, and attract employees and ultimately, increase bottom line business results. And for more companies than ever before, that best-in-class culture is predicated on recognition and appreciation.” 1 

 

 

Best Practices

Incorporate recognition into your daily routine starting today. Below you’ll find some suggestions on how to more effectively recognize others.

Be Specific
For greater impact, provide specific reasons about why you are recognizing / thanking someone. The most common approach is to just say, “Good presentation.” In doing so, you miss the opportunity to help develop your employees. A better approach would be to say, “Greg, the presentation you gave today was engaging, well thought-out, and provided the appropriate amount of detail.” The goal is to compliment and thank them for those actions you want to see more of in the future.

Be Sincere and Honest
Thanks must be given with sincerity and honesty. People will know if you are just going through the motions. Insincere attempts can cause more harm than saying nothing at all.

 

 

The Challenge

Thank each of your direct reports/team members before the Thanksgiving holiday. Meet with each person individually to recognize their efforts or buy (or make if you are creative) some Thank You cards and write a note to each person. Do not use email! Regardless of your handwriting, a handwritten note will convey more importance because it requires a bit more time and effort. Remember to be specific, sincere, and honest. While a single thank you conversation or note can be effective, recognition needs to be ongoing and frequent. Don’t let this be a one-time gesture.

 

It’s My Turn to Say Thank You! [Example]  

My fellow Agents In Engagement:

Thank You!!

Thank you for caring about employee engagement and for visiting the Agent In Engagement site. In a just over 2 years, you’ve been one of more than 83,000 people from all over the world who have stopped by. Thank you for joining this critical mission to identify and eliminate disengagement in the workplace. Your shares, retweets, and comments are appreciated.

Let’s continue to engage with each other, as together, we learn from the latest intelligence on employee engagement.

Thank you!

Gregory F Simpson
Agent In Engagement

 

 

 

1“Findings from the SHRM/GLOBOFORCE Employee Recognition Survey: Culture as a Competitive Differentiator.” Globoforce. Globoforce Limited, 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. <http://www.globoforce.com/resources/research-reports/shrmgloboforce-competitive-differentiator/http://www.globoforce.com/resources/research-reports/shrmgloboforce-competitive-differentiator/>.

 

 

How do you demonstrate gratitude in your daily routine? What suggestions or tips do you have on ways to recognize your direct reports and/or team members.

 

Let’s Engage!

I’m Agent in Engagement Simpson…Gregory F Simpson.

Employee engagement is a critical mission. I hope I can count on your help! Subscribe to the RSS Feed to receive the latest intelligence/insights and/or register to make entries in the comments log.

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Other recent Agent in Engagement data/reports by Agent Gregory F Simpson:

 

 

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