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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” ~G.B. Stern


We both have worked at a job where people put in the minimum amount of effort into their day: 
-We see them walk by the trash can with the crumpled up pieces of paper sitting right next to it.
-We see them drink the last cup of coffee and never make more.

And I am sure that we have all worked (hopefully this line describes you) with a person that goes over and above their job description: 
-The person that not only picks up the paper and throws it away, but walks out to empty the trash.
-The person that after using the last drop of creamer brings more in the next day for everyone to use.

As a leader, realize that both groups get paid the same amount of $oney at the end of the day. So do something nice for the people that make all the difference at your workplace.
------Encourage them.

Let me tell you something, as stated above, since both groups are paid exactly the same, this will lead the people that put in the extra muscle to possibley lose their enthusiasm.  Year after year, they will see that their extra effort really means nothing, and then they will become like every other drone at the workplace.

Suggestion: 
I challenge you to take action and put your appreciation into words for those who make the difference in your workplace.


Take a few moments to simply say thank you.
Write a on a Post-It, send an email, drop by their office to tell them how much they are appreciated!

One last thing:
Do not delegate this responsibility and do not do this only once a year.  Encouraging your team needs to be personal and it needs to be consistent.   

Take the effort to send a message to your great workers;
tell them how important their work is to you and to the organization. 

3 comments:

Cerebrations.biz said...

It's amazing how uncommon this really is!

Lisa said...

Gratitude is so powerful. When expressed, it can move mountains. It makes everything better. I agree so much. My husband and I have a gratitude practice each night, telling each other why we're grateful for each other. It's worked wonders in creating more closeness and love. I know these good feelings can be created in the work place too, causing more teamwork and good vibes :)

Corinne Rodrigues said...

Gratitude is the stuff that makes us winners!