Rethinking "Thank You"

In this time of focus on the importance of connecting with employees, we are often reminded about the importance of saying thank you. But how do you do that in ways that really resonate?

Think for a minute about moments when a thank you has been extended to you. What thank you gave you energy and built your confidence? What thank you left you irritated, and perhaps saying, “Don’t bother!”

When you are sharing gratitude with employees or colleagues (or even with people in your personal life), how can you increase the chances that your thank you has impact?

One of the most critical elements of a meaningful expression of gratitude is its specificity.
Ideally, our statement of thanks is so specific that it distinguishes how the named act, or the person is unique from other’s instances or other people.  Here are two examples to consider.

• “Thanks for your hard work on this project.” This is certainly nice, but specificity is absent. “Don’t I always work hard?” the receiver may think?
• “Thanks for your tremendous commitment to this project. When the crisis hit our team, you stepped up. Your late nights and weekend work enabled us to deliver our biggest project to date. I know that this level of work meant sacrifices for you and your family. On behalf of our team and the client, thank you.” Now, this is specific. The uniqueness of the situation is clear. Additionally, the impact is articulated. How would you feel receiving such a note?

Imagine if the second example above went one step further. What if along with the note was a gift card for a coffee shop, (“Your next week of coffee is on me!”) and a gift card to a nice family restaurant, (“I hope that you enjoy a special evening with your family.”) The relevancy of the gifts exponentially increases the impact of the thank you.

This recent article in the SHRM (Society for HR Management) magazine featured reader-submitted ideas for thank you.

Here are some of my personal favorites:

• The forward – You e-mail Marcus to share how Cathy saved the day, then you forward that e-mail to Cathy with an additional thanks directly to her. With this approach, Cathy sees how serious you are about the value of her contribution.
• Surprise coffee – After seeing that an employee has been pulled off an especially late night/early morning, you show up with a surprise fancy coffee/special breakfast treat.
• Get out – Surprise the team with shutting down early and heading out together for social time. (Just try to be sure that cutting off some of their time doesn’t put anyone in a bind.)
• Flowers – In one leadership role I had, each spring I would buy a bundle of spring flowers, and small vases from the dollar store, and surprise employees with a single flower at their desks one morning. It was beautiful to see the simple sole flowers through the office, and years later employees would share memories of this spring treat.
• Flowering bulbs – In December it’s easy to find little kits of potted bulbs that flower inside. Seeing a beautiful flower come to life over the course of dark January is a special treat. It’s easy to tie this gift into sentiment about growth of employees/clients/company.

What are your favorite ways to share thank you? Or when did you receive thanks in a way that really mattered to you? Share your thoughts below!

Most importantly, who are you going to thank today?