'Tis the Season

I’m going to do two things this year I almost never do: I’m going to quote Mother Teresa and recycle a blog post called All I Want for Christmas. 

It’s not that I can’t be bothered to write something new.  It’s that as I sat down to write a post about expressing appreciation to the people you work with I realized I’d already said most of what I want to say on this topic.  So, here goes:

“I once had a really great boss.  She spoke honestly, listened sincerely, never took credit for someone else’s work and balanced her own heavy workload with coaching and developing the people on her team.

She was one of those rare people who can make a run to Starbucks feel like mentoring.

One year at Christmas I got my regular Christmas bonus and a small gift from my boss with a card.  It was an orange cinnamon scented candle from L’Occitane, exquisitely wrapped.  Just a simple gesture of thoughtfulness.  The card included a hand-written message thanking me for several specific contributions I had made over the year.

Now, I’m a rational person.  If I had to choose between a scented candle from my manager and a cash bonus, I’d take the money. 

But the gift meant more.  In particular, the thoughtfulness behind the gift and the personal message that said she was paying attention and valued my work.

If you manage a team, you may not be able to give your team a Christmas bonus this year.  Fortunately, that needn’t stop you from giving small gifts of your own with a personal message of thanks.

I’ve had several other great bosses with different strengths and personalities but one thing they all had in common was that they showed appreciation for my work.

So, don’t give people  the same old song this Christmas about how there’s no money for raises or bonuses.  Why not give them something to sing about?"

This year I’d like to add that it's not just about managers appreciating employees.  We should all appreciate each other in the workplace because everyone we work with has made some contribution to our work, our success or our personal growth. 

Take a moment to think back on the year… 

Think of the people you admire or  enjoy working with and find a way to let them know.  If this feels awkward, think how nice it felt when someone you work with told you they appreciate you and pay it forward.

Next think about someone you work with that’s difficult to get along with.  Was there ever a moment where they unexpectedly supported you or perhaps shined a new perspective on a difficult problem?  There’s surely something you can feel grateful for, even if it’s just teaching you to be a better and more patient person.

And finally think about your manager.  Maybe you haven’t gotten all the appreciation you felt you deserved this year but we’re all so selfless, hard-working and incredibly amazing it would take a superhuman manager working around the clock to channel enough appreciation for what we do. Try to be generous and remember that managers need appreciation, too. 

This is the season to appreciate what we have and the people who have helped us grow along the way.  At least until it all starts over again in 2013...

Happy holidays!

Laura Schroeder is a global talent specialist at Workday, headquartered in Pleasanton, CA.  She has nearly fifteen years of experience envisioning, designing, developing, implementing and evangelizing global Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions and holds a certificate in Strategic Human Resources Practices from Cornell University.  Her articles and interviews on HCM topics have been published in the US, Europe and Asia.  She lives in Munich, Germany and enjoys cooking, reading, writing, kick boxing (well, kicking things) and spending time with friends and family. If you want to read more from Laura, check out her talent management blog Working Girl or follow her on Twitter @WorkGal.

Comments

[E. James (Jim) Brennan]

Well said, Laura. The longest remembered reinforcements are stored in the heart rather than deposited in the bank. Personalized rewards may cost the least to give but they carry the greatest value.