The Three Characteristics that Make Gratitude More Powerful
Three Takeaways:
Bond reports on a new study led by Temple University’s Fox School of Business and the University of Central Florida. The team surveyed employees across many industries about how their leaders express gratitude. They also ran an experiment to see whether leaders who received thank-you emails would go on to thank their own people.
In short, they did. The researchers found that being thanked makes people more likely to notice what others contribute, a habit they call “grateful attention.” Once people feel appreciated, they start to notice the small acts of help that might otherwise go unseen. The effect also reached coworkers who weren’t thanked directly, and the researchers call the result an “upward spiral.” Best of all, that spiral doesn’t depend on big gestures.
Here are the three things that make gratitude work:
- Make it immediate: Thanks has the most impact when it comes as soon as possible after the effort is made. If you save it for the monthly staff meeting or the year-end review, it loses much of its value. By then the moment has passed and the details have faded for both parties. When someone comes through for you, tell them that day.
- Make it authentic: People can tell when appreciation is routine or forced. Thanks that comes right away and is tied to a real moment shows you noticed and that you mean it. You don’t need a speech or a gift or a some kind of grand gesture. A short, sincere note, a quick message or a word in the hallway is often enough. It has to be– and feel– real.
- Make it specific: “Thanks for your effort” is nice, but “Thanks for staying late to fix the client deck, it saved the pitch” is what people remember. Saying exactly what someone did, and why it mattered, shows you were paying attention. It also tells them which efforts make a difference. Specific thanks is also the kind most likely to get passed on.
And for leaders: your example matters. Employees who feel appreciated tend to show the same appreciation to their colleagues, so a single thank-you from the top can spread across a team.
So before the holiday rush, start the spiral yourself. Send one specific, timely thank-you today, and see where it leads.
by Courtenay Harris Bond for The Philly Voice
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