Resolved:
To Thank, Applaud, Congratulate,
Recognize, or Honor One Person Every Day
Do it now! Keep doing it.
You Will Benefit Immediately
Each Recipient You Remember Will Remember You, What You Did For Them, and Tell Others. Some Will Thank You.
If you are one of the very many waiting around for the spontaneous outpouring of recognition for the good things you have done for others and maybe larger groups, the wait could be long. Only a handful of us, a very tiny number, will ever experience spontaneous, magical recognition in our lives.
If You Want People to Remember You, Remember Them First, and Some Other Powerful Realities of Giving and Getting Happiness
- Recognize the accomplishments of others first.
- Take some time every day to find people you know, or don’t know but should know, to thank. And do it now.
- As you develop this habit, you will find that each recipient of your gratitude will remember you, what you did for them, perhaps what you did for others, too. Many will thank you. Some will even tell others about you.
- My personal belief is that every supervisor, senior manager, and leader has an obligation to look for those who are doing outstanding things, and then take the trouble to personally recognize their accomplishments. These powerful communications often have lifelong impact. Recipients gain what so many of us would like to have, happiness.
- Do things that are memorable, things you know are special or above and beyond the call of duty. You have to force people to help them remember you.
- Bottom line: Being remembered is a very intentional personal behavior. No thank you, no gratitude, no memory… no happiness. Change your behavior now.
Your happiness is your responsibility.
Remember, “Thank You” are two of the most powerful words in every culture, every language, and every relationship. Be specific about what you are thankful for and make these two words more powerful, memorable, and actionable.
My Introduction to the Power of Thank You
The first professional thank you note that came my way occurred shortly after the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) published a couple of my short essays in 1974. The notes came from people I didn’t even know, Chester Burger and Robert Dilenschneider of New York City. Just short notes on special stationery that said essentially, “Dear Jim, liked your piece, especially A, B, and C. You need to write more about these things. Thank you, sincerely.”
In almost every month of my career from those days to these, I receive thank you notes from people. Here’s how it all began.
The Power of a Thank You, My First Lesson – A Personal Story
I was 26 years old and a junior manager in a Minneapolis retail music store. The way they trained was to put junior managers in charge of something real. One of my first “real” management jobs was to oversee the stereo components department in the company’s downtown store. I had a pretty tough, old-fashioned supervisor who had only a few requirements for my first month as manager: Conduct a sales meeting on Tuesdays at 7:30 AM presenting a new selling idea to the group of five super salespeople. Next, write at least one complimentary note to a sales staff member during the month. More than one note was encouraged.
One day, one of the long-time top salesman, let’s call him Tom Wilson, passed away. It wasn’t my fault. But, my manager came down and asked me to go through his desk to make sure there was nothing embarrassing to him or the company. The family was coming in to spend some time in the department where the salesman had spent most of his working life.
I went through his desk, an old-fashioned World War II surplus desk with deep drawers. Way in the back was a big box of papers; I couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but I soon noticed that everything inside the box was in chronological order, with the youngest documents first. As I was trying to figure out what it was all about, I noticed that on every piece of paper, going back more than 30 years, there was a handwritten note from somebody making a nice comment about this gentleman’s work, behaviors, pleasantness, and success.
There were even several notes from more than 30 years ago, from the company’s founder. Some were just scribbles, “Great job with the Wilsons, we couldn’t crack them, you sold them,” “Thanks,” “You really did a great job resolving the concerns of the Olsons, they kept the merchandise after all. Nice going.” Then it struck me that he had likely saved every positive piece of paper he had ever received.
There, at the front, was my recent handwritten compliment. I kind of teared up.
When the family came, I put the box on the top of his desk. His family members crowded around and began going through box, excitedly talking about how many of these notes they knew about. Seems he talked about them at the dinner table whenever he got one. As I think back over that dramatic day, in the context of my career, something I could have done a lot more is consistently and constantly thank people, compliment people, congratulate people, and remember people.
In 1986, twelve years after his first of many notes, Chester Burger invited Barbara and me to come to New York City and work for him. We lived and worked in the New York area for the next 25 years.
Today, now, is the best time to start. If you want to be remembered, remember others first.