Catch People Doing Things Right

I'm not trying to brag and make out I'm an amazing people manager, but I do always strive to be. This week I have tried to be better at saying 'Thank you'.

It's Friday and as usual I've spent my week in numerous meetings with my head in reports and doing emails in any 'spare' time I have. Which leaves me feeling very conscious how I perhaps should have given the people more focus. Don't get me wrong I do give them focus, so a lot of my meetings have been spent thinking about our people and taking actions that will ultimately be benefit and of value... but I feel like I've missed a lot of the time actually connecting with colleagues in the department and across my network.

I understand the importance of 'checking in' with people but I find it hard; time runs away with me, I get busy, forget to and before I know it weeks have passed before I finally say hi. So I've found a cheat. A way to trick myself into doing this more often - I simply say thank you. Saying 'Thank you' to someone is easy, so I use it as my 'excuse' to show someone that I'm there and that I appreciate them.

Obviously it's a win win situation as it is unbelievably important to show gratitude and appreciation. No doubt you've been to workshops and read articles or books about it; there are plenty out there because it's super important to do (hence why I'm writing an article)! Saying thank you promotes gratitude, loyalty, self-esteem, greater confidence and performance etc etc etc.

But I'm not writing this to teach you the importance of saying thank you, I'm going to trust you know that already. What I hope to do is inspire you, or probably just remind you, of the importance of catching people doing things right.

Catching people doing things right!

This is a phrase that I picked up when judging the WOW! Awards and it has stuck with me. I use the phrase when coaching my team and it is my go to mantra when I know I need to connect with people and show my appreciation. It's pretty self explanatory and so simple that anyone can do it. I implore you to do it now! - someone on your team or in your network has done something amazing this week, so go out of your way to tell them.

Make it genuine!

Don't give it lip service. There are so many things people do that you can genuinely thank them for, so you don't need to over do it, squeeze it into a conversation or send 5 messages a day saying well done. Look out for the moments where they really shine and then make your message count.

Make it useful!

Giving someone a high five is great (virtually or socially distanced of course), but if you're praising someone on your team use your message to have an impact (i.e. on performance or behaviour). I don't mean you should say 'well done' in one line then be critical in the next - definitely don't do that! Instead be clear WHY you appreciate what they have done, make it specific so they recognise the behaviour or action that is awesome and they'll be likely to repeat it.

Mix it up!

Now we're all working remotely most interactions are over a laptop, rarely do I get to see colleagues face to face. This new way of working can easily lead us down the path of communicating in one way; for some it's email, others messaging, some still call every 5 minutes and rarely write anything down. There is no one method that is right, its all down to circumstance and situation. However, when we're managing a lot of people we have to realise that their preferred method of communication is not the same as ours, so mix it up. Send messages some days, emails another, drop in on their meetings or send a WhatsApp out of the blue. Trust me, receiving an 'out of the blue' message with a genuine well done is a great feeling.

So it's Friday afternoon and I've spent some time reflecting if I've done enough to show my appreciation this week, and I'm signing off happy that this week feel I have. Could I have done more? Sure. But after an afternoon of saying thank you to individuals that truly deserve it I feel content and ready for a relaxing weekend before catching more people doing things doing right next week.

Connect with someone now - don't put it off!

Have a great weekend and thank you for reading right to the bottom ;)