Today, Harvard Business Review posted an article on the 3 Things Managers Should Do Every Day. The article mentions how overwhelmed new managers are to the key responsibilities of their jobs and often feel like they can’t do it all. They find themselves putting out fires and problem solving so often that they don’t have time to take more strategic and proactive approaches to their team. According to the author, success boils down to 3 things: Build a Team, Build Trust, and Build a Network.

While I agree that those are three key activities for any leader, there is one huge activity that has been ignored. There are two words that hold more value than nearly any other words we say in a day– Thank You!

Thank you for your effort. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for listening. Thank you for your feedback. Thank you for your honesty. Thank you for being loyal. Thank you for your ideas. Thank you for solving the problem. Thank you for everything you do.

Saying thank you is so easy, and yet we often go several days (if not weeks) without saying thank you to the most important people on our team. Saying thank you is free. It costs nothing to show your appreciation for someone. Showing your gratitude with a simple thank you can encourage someone having a tough day. It can re-engage someone who thought their hard work had been overlooked. It can bring a smile to someone’s face. And most of all, it can remind the recipient that they need to pass that thank you on to people they appreciate in their lives.

Saying thank you also translates into more productivity. Field researchers conducted a study among fixed-salary fundraisers to see if saying thank you had any effect on their daily activities. The fundraisers who received a simple in-person verbal thank you increased their outgoing fundraising calls by 50% for that week.

We’re beginning a season of sharing and gratitude; now is a perfect time to take a Thank You Walk. Take a stroll around your office and personally thank each person for all that they contribute to your organization. Let them know they are valued and appreciated. And then after the holiday break, keep the momentum going. There’s no season for thankfulness. Expressing gratitude is our job every day.

Never underestimate the power of a thank you!
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