The Art of Appreciation
I have been reading a number of articles recently about the power of a handwritten note to thank a team member, colleague, or client. Especially now, during a time when everyone is working in isolation, what a wonderful idea to write personal notes to all of the people working with you on your various projects, thanking them for their contributions.
There are a number of benefits that can be observed when people receive handwritten notes thanking them, personally, for something that they did. As mentioned in this article from the Harvard Business Review, a handwritten note on the part of a manager can elevate the self-esteem, productivity and resilience of your team members. I also liked the idea of “tailoring” your thanks by being specific about how their input has helped the project, the team, and the organization.
Additionally, a Gallup poll, found that over 90% of Americans say they have a very positive, or positive, reaction when receiving personal letters and cards. Yet, the number of personal cards and notes has gone down dramatically with the use of email.
Douglas Conant recognized the power of a handwritten note when he was the CEO at the Campbell Soup Company. He provides details in this Forbes article about his process in handwriting notes to employees thanking them for their individual contributions to the company. He also noticed that when he traveled to Campbell Soup factories around the world, he would see his handwritten notes hanging on bulletin boards in the employee cubicles. He believed that the handwritten notes were “treasured more than an email message might be.”
In this Inc. article, Frank Blake describes his practice while CEO at Home Depot . He believes that during his 7 years as CEO he had written over 25000 thank you notes to “everyone from district managers to hourly associates.”
One of the most memorable aspects of these stories, for me, was the incredible impact that these handwritten notes had on the recipients. Imagine yourself working for an organization, of any size, and receiving a handwritten note from anyone thanking you for something that you did and how you, personally, contributed to a better customer experience, vendor or partner program, strategic initiative or organizational goal. I would view this as very impactful, meaningful and motivating.
In my career as a Project Manager, I fully understand that I am just one person on a project team. Everyone on that team contributes their expertise and experience to form a solid working team to deliver on that project. It’s important to take the time to handwrite a note to the individual team members, thanking them for their participation in the project, sharing their expertise, collaborating on issues and always helping me to become a better Project Manager. I designed these note cards so that everyone on the project team can write a thank you and show appreciation for their colleagues – the Project Manager, the QA Lead, the Business Analyst, Technical Writer, Development Lead, Project Sponsor, Stakeholders…anyone.
Remember…the art of appreciation can be found in a simple notecard!