Gratitude

It is important to show people when you have gratitude for what they do.

Whether it be a friend or associate that has attended an event that you have organised, or a team member that has gone the extra mile in your business, it is vital to show them that you appreciate that.

Your appreciation can be shown in many ways - perhaps a thankyou card, a gift voucher for dinner or a small gift.

For team members an unexpected bonus is always appreciated.

I like to send out thank-you cards every week. At first it can take time to recognise the things that deserve a thankyou, but if you are aware of your surroundings you should be able to make a mental note of the little extra things that people do.

Once I sent a book to a staff member at a tyre business. I was stuck in Sydney with a flat, of course my car had ‘special’ tyres that were not in stock and needed to be shipped in. The team member that helped me, let me know about every phone call he received about my car, every 15 minutes I waited he came over to see if I was right - do you need a drink, or I just had a call about this, or now we are trying this, or I haven’t had a call yet. Keeping me in the loop meant that I knew what was going on at all times, I not only had no reason to complain, but I was happy to sit there.  And by sit there, I mean sit there for a few hours.  I was so blown away by his service, when I got home to the Gold Coast, I sent him a copy of You Inc, by John McGrath.  He really had the potential to go far, and I hope that he owns that tyre business now.

We should be all striving to provide this type of service in our business - but we should be recognising great service when we receive it too. TJK