Tag: appreciation

Express Gratitude for the Small Things

Acknowledge Each Other Regularly

Taking the time to thank your loved ones for their small acts of kindness goes a long way.  It’s a key to a good marriage, friendship or family.

Thank you notes keep employees Fired Up!Certainly, one spouse may do most of the cooking and the other take out the garbage, but sharing your appreciation of each other throughout the week can help keep the love alive.  Making requests, rather than demands, is far more effective at keeping the love flowing.

Be Aware of Your Own Gratitude

Consider keeping a gratitude journal, where you record 5 things you are grateful for each day.  Some days it may be your health, other days it may be your home and loved ones, sometimes it may be that you made it home safely after a grueling trip. What’s important is to acknowledge verbally that you have been blessed.  Some people prefer to do this once a week; either way is fine, so long as you acknowledge the good things in your life.

Gratitude teaches us not to take people or life for granted. It’s one of the lessons the great late Christopher Reeves shared when he spoke- to appreciate every moment while you have it.  He was a very smart man.

 

 

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 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
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Fire Up Your People By Including Them

Appreciate Your Employees & Give Them Feedback

In a study conducted by USA Today a few years back, the top three things that employees want are: interesting work, appreciation and being “in” on things. The U.S. Dept. of Labor said  46% of all people who quit do so because they felt they are not appreciated for the work they do.  And James Howard discovered that when asked what their boss or supervisor says when they finish a task or project, 92% said their supervisor said nothing!  88% of Americans say they are never thanked for their work.


What all this data means is that employees are HUNGRY for positive feedback.  And so are we as human beings.  We have a tendency to be very hard on ourselves and judge ourselves severely.

Daniel Pink, the author of Drive, says humans are motivated by autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Sometimes, the greatest  thing you can do in a given day is give your employees or co-workers a few minutes of sincere, specific praise. Try something as simple as “Thanks for the good work on that project” or “I really appreciated your comments in the meeting today-they were valuable.” All too many employers save up their kind words for bonus time, instead of sharing them throughout the year.  Connect their work to the greater purpose they have, give them greater control over what they do, and help them become better at it.

Employees hate to be ignored, to be left out, and to feel unappreciated.  Be sure you take excellent care of your people, or you may lose them.

 

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference