Leadership Lessons: When and why is it important to say thank you? 

By Donnell E. Johns Sr.

Thank you! It sounds too simple to matter; however, it’s one of the best ways to recognize success if it’s genuine and timely. Often we point out the things that go wrong and rarely show gratitude for success.

Napoleon Bonaparte  said, “give me enough medals, and I’ll win any war.” Imagine if we applied that philosophy to everyday life, work, and our relationships.

By saying thank you, what you are really saying is, “I like and appreciate the action, the behavior and/or the gestures.” You are teaching people what you want and how to treat you in a positive way.

If leaders would always make a conscientious effort to add value and to love their team, they could sit back and watch their productivity, as well as their personal health and happiness, soar to new heights.

If you have employees, take one hour a week to get to know your team, thank them for their contributions, call them on their birthdays, check on them when they’re in the hospital, etc. According to the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, “gratitude is strongly linked to mental health and life satisfaction. Grateful people experience more joy, love, and enthusiasm, and they enjoy protection from destructive emotions like envy, greed, and bitterness.”

As the Recruiting and Retention Command Sergeant Major, I developed an onboarding and offboarding program, which allowed the senior leaders to recognize both new and seasoned soldiers. The senior leaders could engage with new soldiers who just graduated from training as well as seasoned members who have less than a year left on their contract.

The senior leaders would show gratitude with a handshake, a thank you, and a sincere request to them to continue their service. This program directly improved our recruiting and retention ranking to number two in the nation and only took 30 minutes a month.

It costs the Army $100,000 to train a new soldier, and even more for a soldier with six years or more. A thank you and a handshake saved the Army millions of dollars. Imagine what gratitude can save you and your organization.

Saying “thank you” shows value!

Donnell E. Johns Sr. is the Founder of Avision Worldwide, LLC, a leadership development consultancy that specializes in apprenticeship inside organizations. Avision Worldwide works alongside the key leaders and team members of organizations, training them using visual leadership tools that are both memorable and transferable, and developing them to become leaders worth following. He is also CoFounder of the Leadership and Laughter Workshop.