You’ve heard it said a million times.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I appreciate you.”
“Thanks a lot.”
Generic phrases like these are often said, usually out of habit, when people communicate their appreciation for someone.They are overused, and they have lost their impact.
The use of one-size-fits-all language causes a well-intended “thank you” to SUCK.
People have a need to feel appreciated, so it’s important to make every “thank you” really count.
Stephen Covey put it this way, “Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival, to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated.”
In the workplace, the need for appreciation is not being met, and it’s having dire consequences.
According to a study by O.C. Tanner Institute & Healthstream, 79% of employees who quit their jobs cite lack of appreciation as a key reason for their leaving.
When people don’t feel appreciated, they go elsewhere to find it.
A “thank you” has the power to light up a person, to make someone’s day, and to change someone’s life.
Let’s stop with the generic, one-size-fits-all phrases, and start cranking up the power of “thank you.”
For maximum meaning and impact, a “thank you” needs to be these 3 things.
1) Personalized
Say someone’s name and you will make them feel SPECIAL.
2) Specific
Say exactly what it is someone said or did that you appreciate and you will make them feel VALUED.
3) Immediate
Make the time to say thank you that same day or soon after and you will make someone feel like they are a PRIORITY.
A “thank you” that is personalized, specific, and immediate lets someone know that WHO they are and WHAT they do MATTER.
There is no deeper connection than that.
