Last week a colleague of mine referred a lovely woman to me for some advice. She was out of work and seeking a job after being outplaced from a position she had for over 20 years. She does web design but she’s discovered her real dream is to design children’s books. She’s grateful for the severance she received for her service , so she has time to explore a few things and see if she can find a job that makes her heart sing. Good for her, I hope I was encouraging.
It’s not that she didn’t have a good job.
It was great in the beginning. For more than 10 years it gave her the opportunity to grow and expand into her talents. It was fun to work there. As she put it, “It was a great company to work for!”
The company was sold but the new owners did a good job of maintaining a pretty good culture. The new folks had a lot of great incentives and worked pretty well with the people and she continued to grow and enjoy her job, but over time the culture changed.
Then another set of new owners. According to her there was a lot of “posturing for power and the appearance of power.” There was a lot of internal competition and lot of new “personalities.” With this new set of owners it became “all about the bottom line.”
They seem to have forgotten about the valuable contributions of the people that had made the company successful in the first place.
Going to work wasn’t fun anymore. She was less motivated. She got little of the kind of encouraging feedback she was used to.
You know where this is going.
When people don’t get appreciated for the good work they are doing, when the focus is on “slashing” “cutting” and “eliminating” it tends to suck the life out of people.
I’m sure you agree.
When people don’t feel appreciated for their work, they often get less present towards it. I know I have gone through that in my own career.
Some recent research emphasizes the profound impact that even simple expressions of appreciation can have on motivating and inspiring others.
But is it JUST a simple thank you that does the motivation?
Maybe it’s more.
Maybe it’s heartfelt appreciation. Maybe it’s connection with the mission of the company.
Could the WAY you say thank you matter?
Yep.
When a manager says “I am very grateful for your hard work (or ideas, or contribution, or creativity) and sincerely appreciate the contribution you make to our success” instead of a simple Thank YOU – it does!
POW!
Research shows that people that get THAT kind of appreciation motivate people to contribute extra effort. That kind of gratitude from the people in charge can be extra motivating when it comes from the heart.
Remember Maya Angelou’s sentiment: “People will never forget how you made them feel.” Employees who feel valued by their leaders are inclined to perform better.
You know this stuff! If you want to boost morale and drive higher performance – up your leadership game and join me at https://PositiveEnergizer.com
Call 561 – 279-0027 for a free consult on your positive leadership skills –
And while you are calling WISH ME A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.
February 1st marks my 34th year in business teaching companies the importance of customer loyalty and how to “Keep ‘em Happy, Keep ‘em Loyal and Keep ‘em Coming Back!”
With enormous gratitude for reading my Museletter!
JoAnna
