Business owners are human and humans tend to look for things that are going wrong instead of looking for things that are going right.
One study found that 74% of people would consider finding a new job today because of lack of recognition? That’s 3 out of 4 people—a majority of the team members who help your business function day after day. 
Who specifically would fall into that majority in your company? Which key players are feeling even a little unappreciated or frustrated? Who might leave you on a moment’s notice if the opportunity presented itself?
Think what could happen in your company’s culture if everyone went around looking for things going right and then saying “thanks.” You’d have a thankfulness culture.
In this season of thankfulness, there’s a simple way to keep your team members engaged and happy and it boils down to a single, unbelievably powerful word. Thanks.
Simply by saying thanks regularly, you can transform your company’s culture to a place where people love to come to work and work harder while they’re there—increasing productivity, decreasing turnover, and sending profits through the roof.
A thankfulness culture starts with the business owner
Believe it or not, there are right ways and wrong ways to say thank you. I once had a boss thank me publicly but called me Sally instead of Susie! Another time, a boss thanked me as part of a project team that I wasn’t even on. You can imagine that didn’t do much to make me feel acknowledged and recognized.
Here are 4 tips for saying thank you effectively, and ingraining gratitude as part of your company’s culture:
- Make saying thanks a daily habit. This sets a precedent for the rest of your team to follow, making everyone feel noticed and appreciated.
- Use people’s names (but use their right names!)
- Be specific with your praise. For example, “That report was extremely thorough. Thank you for a job well done!” This has the double bonus of being extremely impactful AND reinforcing the positive behavior, so that they repeat it in the future.
- Praise publicly. Say thanks in front of others. While you never want to single people out for criticism in front of their colleagues, take a minute or two at the beginning of each meeting to acknowledge the good work of team members. They’ll feel great and it’ll give the rest of the team something to aspire to.
Here are a few ways and gifts to express your thankfulness:
Gratitude isn’t just for Thanksgiving Day. Make it an everyday part of your company’s thankfulness culture and watch your productivity increase, your turnover decrease, and your profits soar.
P.S. Since it’s that time of year, we want to thank YOU for being a loyal reader of our blog! Take a moment to check out the Resources tab on our website and download any of our powerful business-building tools FREE. Happy Thanksgiving!
