The power of thank you – maximizing appreciation and gratitude (III)

“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God.”  Phillipians 1.3 Message

We have been looking at the importance of appreciation. If our lives will count we must have and develop the ability to be grateful. We must not be ungrateful people.

“If one should give me a dish of sand, and tell me there were particles of iron in it, I might look for them with my eyes, and search for them with my clumsy fingers, and be unable to detect them; but let me take a magnet and sweep through it, and how would it draw to itself the almost invisible particles, by the mere power of attraction! The unthankful heart, like my finger in the sand, discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day, and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find every hour some heavenly blessings; only the iron in God’s sand is gold.” Henry Ward Beecher.

Understanding the benefits of appreciation will propel us to actively engage in it.

Here are seven benefits of appreciation in a team:

1)    Boost team morale – creates positive work environment.

2)    People feel valued and appreciated.

3)    Encourages the team – that good deeds don’t go unnoticed.

4)    Motivates performance and continued good, challenges people to do more.

5)    Provokes joy.

6)    Ripple effect of gratitude. “Appreciation is contagious. When one person expresses gratitude, it can create a ripple effect, encouraging others to do the same.  This can cultivate a cycle of positive interactions and relationships.” Abigail Hutchinson

7)    Promotes loyalty.

 Appreciation must be done deliberately which means there has to be a method to it.

“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” William Faulkner.

“There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude.” Robert Brault.

The “ how” of expressing appreciation.

1. Make it personal – mention names. As much as possible avoid generic appreciation. When appreciation comes with a person’s name it has a more powerful effect.

2. Be specific about the deed/quality/content/object of the appreciation. Appreciation is no appreciation if it is just thrown in an ocean of ambiguity. Appreciate people for specific things or deeds.

3. Always mention great little details – deeds hardly noticed by others but which are worthy of emulation.

“Do not take anything for granted — not one smile or one person or one rainbow or one breath, or one night in your cozy bed.” Terri Guillemets.

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4. If possible, give tokens of appreciation – plagues, certificates, cards, gifts, cash, etc.

5. Never flatter. Don’t be tempted to tell lies or boot lick people in an attempt to appreciate them. Be honest about it.

6. Make it daily, weekly and/or occasional e.g. at special events. Make it a culture.

“Make it a habit to tell people, ‘thank you.’ To express your appreciation sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” Ralph Marston.

CONCLUDED