{"id":111497,"date":"2023-11-14T11:29:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T18:29:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadershipcircle.com\/?p=111497"},"modified":"2023-12-18T19:01:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T02:01:15","slug":"being-grateful-is-good-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipcircle.com\/en-au\/blog\/being-grateful-is-good-for-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Being Grateful Is Good for Business"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]In the corner of my spare room, under the window and next to a small metal craft cart that holds Christmas wrapping paper and extra gift tags, stands a white goose on a small patch of green grass\u2014a treasured, if somewhat ridiculous, gift I received more than 20 years ago. One which I happily carted across the country when I moved from Ohio to Washington state, and which has repeatedly escaped weekends of spring cleaning and boxes earmarked for donation.<\/p>\n

First popular in the Midwest in the 1980s, the \u201cporch goose\u201d is a cement lawn ornament that saw a resurgence in the late \u201990s and early aughts and is currently enjoying newfound popularity<\/a>, thanks to TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I got mine not at an outdoor nursery or from the lawn care section of a hardware store, but backstage of the small theater of Our Lady of the Elms High School. I was directing three students in a one-act play called The Wild Goose<\/em>, and my cast and crew presented me with the play\u2019s namesake decorative waterfowl moments before curtain on opening night. They each signed the base and lured me backstage with a panicked (and, frankly, well-acted) ruse about one of my actresses injuring herself and being unable to go on.<\/p>\n

It was silly and sweet. And it took me completely by surprise. I was utterly delighted, just as they knew I would be. In other words, it was the best possible way they could say \u201cthank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being Grateful Is Good for Business<\/h3>\n

In addition to being a sign of good manners and general human decency, showing appreciation is an effective and useful business tactic. In a recent survey<\/a> of 800 full-time U.S. employees by software firm Nectar, nearly 84% said that recognition affects their motivation to succeed at work. Similarly, Great Place To Work found<\/a>, when analyzing more than a million employee survey responses, that workers tied recognition to several aspects of positive company culture, such as employees\u2019 increased likelihood to drive innovation and bring new ideas forward and to believe that workplace promotions are fair.<\/p>\n

What great leaders understand about recognition and appreciation is that it\u2019s most effective when it\u2019s specific. For some, that may mean a personal shoutout in the company\u2019s Teams chat; for others, it\u2019s a handwritten note or a cup of coffee and conversation. For others still, it\u2019s a goofy keepsake with a good story. The point is that it\u2019s personal, and the best way to make it personal is to know your people.<\/p>\n

Make Your Appreciation Personal<\/h3>\n

We recently polled our nearly 150,000 LinkedIn followers<\/a> on the most effective way to show your team your appreciation. Forty-three percent of respondents said public displays of recognition are the way to go; 30% voted for a pay increase or bonus; and 22% said a thank-you gift is the most effective way to make a colleague feel appreciated.<\/p>\n

In the comments, consensus was clear: These may be solid options, but the best course of action is to make the effort to meet your people where they are. \u201cIt depends on how each team member is intrinsically motivated,\u201d said Gina Lavery, MSOD. Sue Mann agreed. \u201cKnow your colleague well enough to know what is most meaningful to them,\u201d Mann commented. \u201cIt\u2019s about them, after all, not you.\u201d<\/p>\n

More of what our followers had to say:<\/h4>\n

\u201cRecognition in both public and private, and also a heartfelt conversation that encourages them to think about their personal development.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u2014Geetika Agarwal, PCC in training (ICF)<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t wait, do it now!\u201d
\n<\/em>\u2014Roberto Giannicola<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely a personal appreciation of their strengths and attitude and the difference that they make\u2026 that they may not have realized.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u2014Connie Howe<\/p>\n

\u201cIt depends, different individuals have different needs at different times, so leaders have to know their people and think every time about what kind of appreciation works best this particular time with this concrete individual. One size fits all doesn\u2019t work.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u2014Antti Viljaste<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the five languages of love. You have to love someone with their love language, not yours. It\u2019s the same with business. You have to show appreciation the way a person wants and needs to be appreciated.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u2014Miriam Wexler<\/p>\n

Small Gestures, Big Impact<\/h3>\n

Beyond being a feel-good practice, recognition is a strategic imperative for organizations trying to cultivate a culture of excellence and engagement. While formal recognition programs and traditional methods of celebrating achievement will always have a home in the workplace, the personal touch truly makes a difference. When you demonstrate as a leader that you know your people well enough to know how to thank them, they won\u2019t just feel appreciated; they\u2019ll feel seen.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”]

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