Thank you.

I recently received a handwritten thank you note from one of my clients thanking me for helping their business, and team, with a particular challenge. It really made my day!

Many people have had the same experience with written thank you notes. As a matter of fact, I know a retired Federal employee who, after 30+ years on the job, kept all the handwritten thank you notes they received over the years.

I am a firm believer in writing thank you notes, and I come from a long line of thank you note writers! A handwritten thank you note can be incredibly meaningful to the recipient. Especially if the writer takes the time to personalize the note with details of a specific contribution that the recipient made which was valuable to the team, project, or organization.

There have been many stories written about the power of gratitude and the simplicity of a handwritten thank you note. 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 the CEO 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. Now that’s powerful!

I’ve had project team thank you cards designed that inspire me to write a note to team members, project sponsors, and colleagues. If you don’t write thank you notes today, why don’t you try it out? Handwrite a thank you note to a team member, colleague, client, or manager. Thank them for their help, their business, the opportunity to attend a conference, their mentorship, or their contributions to a project that you were leading. Try it and see what you think.

The art of appreciation can be found in a simple notecard!