Expressions of gratitude

A small "thank you for going the extra mile" delivered within a day of the event can have a significant impact on a person's outlook, mood and morale. Even in a high performance team used to delivering excellence, the sheer fact of acknowledgement can be enough to make a person's day. We like to be noticed for doing good stuff and these little flashes of attention, chained together can enable us to reach even bigger milestones. Encouragement from the side of the road helps us, like the tired marathoner, stay the pace and keep going.

The corollary applies here too - when we are not thanked for the work we do, or when us giving more than would ever be expected becomes our new performance floor, our performance can suffer, we find it hard to deliver at the same level, to find the inner motivation to surmount tough obstacles and lose the will to try.

If we can't get that energy back, and if our managers and team leaders can't find us exciting stretch projects to awaken us, we quit - by the side of the road as it were - and look for a new job elsewhere. Some studies suggest up to 60% of underappreciated workers are looking for new jobs at any time (side note, these are often the good workers).

Little thanks don't pay the bills, but they do make us feel good, feel seen and feel valued. That "made my day" feeling is real and is a powerful agent for excellent performance. The thanks doesn't have to be big, doesn't need to be public and doesn't need to be monetary (though can be all three) but it does need to be authentic

How to thank people properly

Don't waste thanking opportunities by making off the cuff remarks whilst passing in a corridor. If the work has been impressive, beyond or innovative enough to deserve sincere thanks then thanks itself should take effort.

Send an email expressing gratitude: If the person is a direct report this has the added benefit of being a written record of outstanding performance when it comes time for appraisals. If the person is not a direct report, be sure to copy their line manager into the conversation. Put some context around what they did, how it exemplified the company values and how the actions made wider commercial impact. By detailing the achievement we help them relive it and bring the work to light.

In a public meeting: Thanking out loud can also be extremely powerful. It calls the attention of a wider group to the individual performance and to an example of what exemplary work looks like. Be sure to describe in full the work and impact as above. These public announcements raise the profile of the individual within the business and also demonstrate to the wider group that excellence does not go unnoticed.

Encouragement from the side of the road helps us, like the tired marathoner, stay the pace and keep going.

Whichever you choose be sure to be the one who backs this up with documentation. A leader or manager who is able to demonstrate examples of outstanding performance in their team members, having taken the time to recognise and document those achievements themselves (not having to be reminded come appraisal time) is likely to inspire a fiercely loyal and effective team.

The value or otherwise of monetary reward

Adding a commercial reward to a thank you is certainly compelling in the short term - who doesn't appreciate a bonus from a grateful boss or delighted team mates? The problem becomes the monetising and value assessment of different extra-ordinary commitments. Once a reward is paid for extra work then the kinds of meaningful thank yous' mentioned above can become less meaningful. A problem develops around "why did his work get a bonus, or get a £150 gift card, and mine didn't? Especially since mine was bigger work?". Where does the line get drawn? Is a piece of work with a direct impact on the businesses bottom line worth more than a piece of work around automating a frustrating process? Even if that automation has more impact on the day to day work of dozens or hundreds of colleagues?

Businesses have experimented with thresholds for financial rewards - a cash bonus for accruing a certain number of key achievements. These can be nominations from colleagues for outstanding work for example. The problem of reward for individual and variable contributions still exists however, as do the personal mis-incentives that act on behaviour. When extra performance becomes rewardable, standard performance can decline. Finally, the administration of a legitimate scoring and reimbursement system can be incredibly complex.

Far better then to avoid direct financial reward entirely and to focus instead on collecting evidence of impactful work and using this as justification when salary review or promotion season rolls around. As mentioned earlier the real value in gratitude comes when this gratitude is revisited after the fact. It is an exceptional boss that records and remembers every time you went the extra mile and deliberately brings these achievements up at times that are beneficial to you.

Thanking creates meaning

Organisations with the kind of expressional bosses mentioned here retain talent for longer, develop stronger capabilities and outcompete their peers. We like to be challenged, to rise to that challenge, and to have others notice how we did. This is what meaningful work is all about.

Meaningful work attracts high performance staff. High performance staff attract further high performers. Cultures which formally recognise achievement develop loyalty and commitment.

This is by way of showing the extreme value to be found in developing a philosophy of public gratitude. Backing that philosophy with a simple system of recording and reminders can genuinely act as a catalyst for extraordinary levels of performance growth within an organisation.