Don’t Forget to Say Thank You

It's two of the most simple words & featured in so many different ways including music. Dido once sung all about it in her famous hit "Thank You." Jimmy Fallon also regularly writes thank you notes on his late night show, all in good fun of course. Not only does it take less than 2 seconds to say but it does to type or write, too.

One of the biggest tips I give my candidates following each interview or networking call, is to please send not only a LinkedIn Invite to Connect with "Add a Note" (not just a standard invite, saying thank you & include their contact information) but also to write & send a thank you email to each person they spoke with. It's often times that extra step that makes all the difference in the world. Not to mention, shows your appreciation & respect but also can distinguish yourself from the all the others, depict you as more engaging, resilient & helps make you more positive. So definite upsides all around.

A survey conducted by TopResume confirmed that a candidate's thank you note (or lack thereof) impacts their chances of landing the job. When asked, “After interviewing a candidate, does receiving a thank you email/note impact your decision-making process?” 68 percent of Hiring Managers & Recruiters replied that yes, it matters. In fact, nearly one in five interviewers have completely dismissed a candidate because they did not receive a thank you email or note after an interview. In addition, recent data suggests that interview thank you messages have taken on greater importance in evaluating candidates since COVID began.

We all learned as small children to say thank you or were reminded "Don't forget to say thank you." I sure was taught this & now am continuing to occasionally jog my boys' memories of this. What many often times may not realize is that these two basic words have a profound impact on our daily outlook, our ability to chart a course of success & most importantly to be happy. Not to mention, there are significant health benefits from embracing gratitude.

Appreciation & gratitude should be important not only personally but professionally as well. I speak & connect with numerous people in many different industries & job roles & a common theme among them is the desire to be appreciated. Our work world is one in which being overburdened has become the norm & where the demands for excellence only continue to sky rocket. Another reality today is, the way we see ourselves has a huge impact on our achievements. For some, the problem is not competence it is confidence & in order to be successful you have to possess both.

Being grateful & ensuring you consistently say "thank you" to your colleagues, bosses, mentors & everyone else in your workplace is profoundly important, not just during holiday seasons, but every, single day. When employees feel like their boss & company recognizes & rewards them, they become grateful for their work & the opportunities they have to grow & learn. Working for a boss who is kind, cultivates grateful employees who are loyal to the company & are more inclined to go beyond expectations. It is motivating & encouraging, & creates more job satisfaction, thus resulting in better performance & less turnover. Additionally, it builds trust & promotes employee engagement.

The same holds true for clients. Ask yourself these questions: is the only time you reach out when you are trying to drum up business??What about during/after a service was performed, a project completed or an order delivered or maybe some other random time to just chat? People do not do business with enemies.?The more human & friendly your relationship is with your clients, the better. This kind of follow-up not only sets you up for positive results in the future, but signals that the professional relationship you want reaches far beyond a single transaction. It says you care enough to stay in touch. It is also an indication you do not take them for granted & an acknowledgement that they matter. And that's why saying thank you always matters.

Grateful people are more apt to welcome new challenges & are more optimistic about their goals being achievable. Gratitude does not always have to stem from celebrating successes; it can come in the form of being grateful for previous challenges & for insights on what to repeat or what to change. Reflecting back to lessons learned from prior setbacks can help boost your self-esteem, spirit & prepares you for future possibilities.

While there are plenty of complex & sometimes expensive ways of saying thank you…nothing beats simply saying it with a smile on your face. How often are you doing that? I always love being able to shake hands & high five others at the end of a day or after a difficult or particularly challenging week. It is super important to make that connection & let others know you are thinking of them.

Some people truly go above & beyond. They give of themselves in a way that compels you emotionally to let them know how much they helped you. But when someone improves your life in a significant manner, you want to find an approach to gratitude that speaks emotionally, too. Do what you need to do to not only say you are grateful—but show it.

We are still in hard times right now. So, please don't forget to celebrate the most basic, simplest pleasures of life. Be grateful that you’ve been blessed with another day on this planet. You can never be too thankful.

Gratitude opens up a door of possibility. There is no truer form of acceptance than saying "thank you." Being thankful & sincerely meaning it evokes a shift in energy that attracts new & exciting things in your life because it signals that you are ready to receive them. And when those doors unlock & open, it is possible for you to pick & chose your own, new next adventure. It reinforces you can indeed pursue any direction your heart can imagine.

So go out there & create your own, special attitude of gratitude, sprinkle your daily interactions with these two golden words & remember, as the great, Alfred North Whitehead once said, “No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise & confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."