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Thank You Very Much!
by Linda Larsen, CSP
© Copyright 2000
Tom Peters, author of many outstanding books on leadership and management, once remarked: "In the age of e-mail, supercomputer power on the desktop, the Internet, and the raucous global village, attentiveness - a token of human kindness - is the greatest gift we can give someone." In his book, The Pursuit of Wow, he wrote, "Don't forget your thank-you notes." After that statement, he went on to write, "You just read the most important piece of advice in this book. If you take it to heart, you can throw this little volume in the nearest trash can and still have gotten ten times your money's worth (make that ten thousand times). The power of a thank-you (note or otherwise) is hard - make that impossible- to beat."
I remember once, when I was feeling a little out of sorts, I received a thank you note from my dear friend, KZ. The reason? There wasn't one. It was just to tell me that she thought that I was one of the most amazing women on the planet and that I was extremely important in her life. It was one of those "wow" moments for me. It came along at the very moment when I needed it the most.
If you want to enjoy much richer relationships with others, make a conscious choice to thank the people in your life for the contributions they have made to you. Keep a box of note cards handy where you can see them and be reminded every day. Carry a few cards around with you so you can leave one behind when you need to. Write them to customers, bosses, coworkers, family members, and friends.
Don't allow yourself to rationalize not sending one with statements like, "Oh I told him I appreciated it," or "I'm sure he knows how I feel," or "She's family, I don't need to send her a thank-you note." Do it anyway. It only takes a few minutes and it pays big dividends.
Time to insert a warning: Remember to check out your intentions. If you are sending acknowledgment notes for the big dividends you will receive, it will ultimately backfire. If you do it, on the other hand, for the big dividends the other person will receive in the process, you will have served your purpose. The fact that there may be a benefit in it to you should always remain a distant second.
One way to make this a "habit" (and you know how hard that it) is to actually mark off a regular time in your calendar to write your thank-you's. Mine is Sunday evenings. That's the best time for me to plan my upcoming week and focus on the truly important things in my life. Your best time may be Tuesday mornings at 8:15 a.m. Whatever it is, just allow 10-15 minutes to write one or two notes.
One or two notes times 50 weeks is a LOT of positive energy directed toward acknowledging the people in your life. You will be astounded at the value you will realize from this activity. In becoming a "raving fan" of those important people in your life, you will be creating a lot of raving fans for yourself. It becomes easy for them to start believing that if you think that they are so wonderful...then you must be really smart and wonderful yourself! Truly a win-win situation.
I'll leave you with a question. Who, in your life, has recently contributed to you in some way? A friend? A family member? A coworker. A vendor? Customer? Your boss? Why not, right now, jot down a few heartfelt words of appreciation and send it to them? Do it for them. Do it because it's one more Right Action in the world.
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Tag line: Linda Larsen, CSP, helps individuals think strategically, communicate effectively, and celebrate success. She is an international keynote speaker, trial consultant and author of the book, True Power, and the best selling audio program, 12 Secrets to High Self-Esteem. She can be reached at www.lindalarsen.com or 941-927-4700.
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