In the recent Pulse Check survey we conducted of leaders and business owners, one of the things they have noticed, is a decline in the extra discretionary effort from their employees. Whether it’s the disconnection of working remotely, or the fatigue that people are suffering as a result of this crazy year, that effort has somewhat stopped.
The concern is that this will impact on client satisfaction because it is those little ‘extras’ that clients love and come to expect. Getting that extra effort from people goes beyond the actual doing or the action – it comes down to the want or the motivation to do it. So how do you get that back?
It’s quite simple – Gratitude.
“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” ~ Zig Ziglar
Expressing gratitude when you notice people going over and above will make them feel appreciated and valued for doing it and the recognition often inspires them to want to feel that way again. We all like to be appreciated right? Especially when we do go over and above expectation.
In fact, in a survey conducted for the John Templeton Foundation:
- 81% said they would work harder for a grateful boss.
- 94% of women and 96% of men agree that a grateful boss is more likely to be successful.
- 60% say they either never express gratitude at work or do so perhaps once a year.
- 74% never or rarely express gratitude to their boss.
If gratitude is the essential ingredient to encourage people to work harder, then imagine what you could create if you have a culture of gratitude?
Now that you know this, what do you think you could do to inject some meaningful gratitude practices into your business on a consistent basis? Could it be part of your weekly team catch-ups, your one on one’s with your team or something that is encourages spontaneously? Can you make this part of your day-to-day work ethos?
Whatever you choose to do, it’s about having your eyes and ears open and alert to what people are doing and reinforcing the behaviour that you want to see. It’s also about being timely and genuine in the recognition. Finally, it’s about doing this consistently. So have this on your radar and notice if this achieves the results you’re looking for.