Giving appreciation to others really matters. It lifts people up, tells them they are valued and builds relationships between employees, co-workers, friends or family members. Saying thank you is great. Even better is to give specific meaningful appreciation that sticks. Here’s how:
1. What did the person do that you appreciate?
Specifically state the action, accomplishment or effort that you appreciate.
Examples: finished complex project; dealt with difficult customer; fixed a problem; did the dishes.
2. What was the result?
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Sharing the impact gives the appreciation much more depth.
Examples: made the deadline; customer felt that you cared; helped the team move forward; freed up time.
Put it together with this framework:
Thank you for: what did the person do that you appreciate? The result was: impact on you, the team, customer, family, company, etc.
Here are some examples:
- Thank you for giving extra effort to the project. The result was that we made the deadline.
- Thank you for dealing with the difficult customer. The result was it showed that you cared about them.
- Thank you for fixing the problem. The result was the team was able to move forward.
- Thank you for doing the dishes. The result was it freed up my time and made the kitchen look great for when the company arrived.
When you combine what the person did with its result, your appreciation has a deeper meaning and genuinely matters. It will brighten their day!
Pam Solberg-Tapper, president of Coach for Success Inc., is a Duluth-based executive coach, professional speaker and adventure marathoner. For questions or to submit questions or ideas for future columns, contact her at
pam@coachforsuccess.com
or 218-729-0772.
