Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we at Inta-Great hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, and maybe even some time to relax and rejuvenate.
We also hope you had some time over the holiday vacation to reflect on what and who you are thankful for—in both your personal and work life. So here’s our question, did you let anyone know what you are thankful for? Did you let anyone know you are thankful for him/her?
Thanksgiving serves as a good reminder about how important it is to express gratitude. Good leaders are appreciative. They understand that an encouraging word and a sincere “thank you” can help motivate others and create a positive work environment. After thirty years of research,leadership experts Kouzes and Posner concluded in their latest book, The Truth About Leadership, that:
“the highest performing managers and leaders are the most open and caring…They are more positive and passionate, more loving and compassionate, and more grateful and encouraging than their lower performing counterparts.”
Why does being grateful and encouraging make such a difference? It’s quite simple really. We all work harder and smarter for people we like, and we tend to like people who appreciate and encourage us. This is often clear in our personal lives. Most of us would not settle for a spouse or significant other who did not appreciate our efforts or encourage our personal development—and the data shows us that most of us will not settle for a boss who does not appreciate our efforts or encourage our personal development either. A Gallup poll of more one million employed U.S. workers concluded that the number one reason people quit their jobs is a bad boss or immediate supervisor. And, a separate study by Florida State University found one of the main reasons someone is labeled as a “bad boss” is for “failing to give credit where credit is due.”
Not only do people work harder for bosses they like, they are also more willing to take smart risks. Recently, we wrote an article about the importance of courage and risk-taking when it comes to leadership. As a leader and manager, you should strive to cultivate leaders at all levels of your organization, and this means giving employees the freedom to take risks. Innovation will not take place if your employees are afraid to leave their comfort zone. Knowing they work for a positive and encouraging boss makes employees feel safe enough to be courageous and innovative.
That is why it so important for leaders to not only be appreciative, but to express their gratitude as well. Don’t let this overwhelm you. Expressing gratitude doesn’t mean you have to develop a new, complex HR policy about employee recognition, it just means you have to say “Thank you.” Kouzes and Posner put it this way, “recognitions don’t need to come in the form of elaborate events or expensive awards. In fact, the more personal they are, the more impact they can have.”
So, if you haven’t already, take a moment and reflect on who and what you are thankful for this year. Maybe you’re thankful for the many ways your spouse has supported you this year. Maybe you’re thankful for how your employee managed that high profile project. Maybe you’re thankful for the dedication and loyalty someone has shown to the organization. Perhaps you’re thankful for someone’s positive attitude and enthusiasm Maybe it’s even something “little” like everyone pitching in to keep the office kitchen clean.
Then, once you’ve identified who and what you’re thankful for, let them know it. Send them an email. Add a personalized thank you note to those Christmas/Holiday cards you hand out every year. Or better yet, tell them in person. For many leaders, end-of-year or mid-year employee performance reviews are coming up—those are great opportunities to let your employees know you appreciate them. In the end, we promise you’ll be thankful that you did.
Referenced Works:
- Kouzes, J.M. and B. Z. Posner. (2010). The truth about leadership: The no-fads, heart-of-the-matter facts you need to know. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Related articles
- The best way to give thanks at work (management.fortune.cnn.com)
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