The Power of Saying Thank You

Do you understand and leverage the power of a leader saying thank you? Do you know your gratitude should be more than just a response? 

It feels good when someone says thank you. So, do we take time through the year to creatively say thank you to our teams? Or are we reminded of the power of saying thank you just at Thanksgiving?  

I still remember a time when my manager gave me a document with my pay raise. He wrote a thank you note on it for my contributions to our team. The salary increase was fantastic and was spent faster than you could say Germain Empowerment. However, the note was out-of-this-world amazing. The impact lasted for decades. That’s because the note birthed a desire in me to have a similar effect on others. That’s the power of saying thank you to those under our influence. As leaders, we should be leveraging that power throughout the year. We shouldn’t let a turkey at Thanksgiving remind us of the power of saying thank you to others. 

“65% employees prefer non-cash incentives from their employers.

46% say an unexpected reward like …. a thank you note from their bosses would make them feel more appreciated.”

“27 ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION STATISTICS [2022]: NEED TO KNOW FACTS FOR MANAGERS AND HR” Zippia.com. Nov 13, 2022, https://www.zippia.com/advice/employee-recognition-statistics/ Accessed on Nov 21, 2022.

We don’t need statistics to communicate the impact of saying these two small words, “Thank You.” Showing our gratefulness can bring us a sense of inner peace. It makes the person being thanked feel good about themselves, and can cause them to be kind, thoughtful, and appreciative of others in return.  

Thank You Should Be More Than Just A Response

It’s not unusual to flash a quick “thank you” as a response to an action by someone else; sometimes without even looking at the person. While that’s ok, we should practice sharing our gratefulness in a more meaningful way like looking the person in the eyes while saying thank you. That communicates sincerity and authenticity. 

The leader who communicates sincere gratitude to their organization will most likely enjoy the benefits of an organization with a healthy culture. Why? Because saying thank you:

• Improves organizational culture and output results

• Improves personal well-being and performance.

• Drives empowerment and commitment among your teams

• Role-models the behavior which attracts the best talent to you. 

As a leader, creating a culture of gratitude will enable an empowered and high-performing organization. Let’s find creative ways to communicate “thank you” to our teams. Yes. Cash is one way to say thank you, but there are a million and one other ways to say thanks. One of them is the simple act of verbally saying, “Thank You.” 

Today is a great day to stop by one of your direct report’s desks without them having just done something for you and say: “you know (fill in the name), I really want to say thank you for being (fill in the blank)/doing (blank) for us/our team/etc. When you did that, it made (blank) impact on us.” 

And watch their spirit light up!

Empowered Leader Reflection:

Have you taken the time to reflect on the impact you have on your teams when you share your gratitude? 

Your turn to enlighten us. Would you make a comment below?