Give Gratitude All Season Long

We are in the season of gratitude.? This season is a time for giving thanks and thinking about others ahead of ourselves.? As the turkey settles and the leftovers slowly fade away over the weekend, I am challenging you to continue in the spirit of gratitude and work to provide your colleagues with what they truly desire.? Earlier this year, blogger Jennifer Gonzalez aptly identified what educators need in the second season of Covid: trust, safety, and respect.? She laid out great ideas that can help educators to gain a sense of safety and build trust.? I am attempting to add to her beautiful thoughts and give all leaders ideas about providing your organization with these needs.

Safety

The holiday season is a time of celebration and joy.? Over the next few weeks, organizations of all sizes will hold holiday parties where employees and bosses come together to celebrate and relax in a non-working environment.? This tried and true tradition was interrupted last year due to the pandemic.? This year’s holiday parties are needed and expected.? I am confident that this year’s parties will also be a little more awkward than past holiday celebrations because our social skills still need to be refined after sitting on the shelf for more than a year.??

Tip:

Here is how you can use the holiday party to build trust with your staff.? LEAVE THE PARTY EARLY.? One of my former staff members let me know how important this was to building trust, rapport, and a favorable climate.? After I left the organization, she said, “One of the things I admired most about you was that you left the staff parties early.” ? While my presence was significant at the beginning for building connections and acknowledging the hard work that went into planning, my early exit allowed everyone to have a good time without being under the boss’s gaze.? Leaders may not always be aware of the boss/employee dynamic, but employees always know.? Allow your organization to have a safe holiday party by leaving it early and allowing a more relaxed social setting to take hold.??

Respect

Nothing says I respect you more than respecting another person’s time.? The holidays are always a whirlwind.? Children have school performances, family is in town, or you are traveling, end-of-year deadlines are coming up, and you are still trying to maintain your average work/life balance.? Your employees are under the same stress.? Don’t be an additional stressor by bombarding your direct reports with emails at all hours of the day and night.

Tip:

Send emails only during work hours.? Email is a huge stressor as well as a considerable time-waster in most organizations.? In the early days of the internet and AOL, we all used to look forward to a friendly ping and the exciting announcement, “You’ve got mail!”? Those days are long gone.? Many of your employees probably have work email on their phones and have notifications alerting them each time an email comes into their inbox.? You probably use email like most of us do, you have a great idea or remember an essential aspect of a project outside of work hours, and you fire off a quick email to get a conversation going or send out a friendly reminder.? STOP.? Others in your organization see the timestamp on emails sent outside work hours. The message is clear--I am working outside of regular, sustainable working hours; you should be working too.? Even if this is not your intention, the message is sent.? Respect your employees’ time.? Allow them to enjoy the holidays and promote healthy separation.? This tip will also benefit you.? As you learn how to schedule emails, you won’t receive late night or early morning messages and face colleagues first thing in the morning asking, “Did you get my email?”? No one looks forward to that question first thing in the morning.

Trust

The following month gives you an incredible opportunity to build trust within your organization.? Your employees have worked incredibly hard over the last year and a half under unprecedented stress.? Recognize the hard work they have put in by genuinely recognizing the effort they have put in and acknowledging it.

Tip:

Take the next month, go through each direct report, and write a personal gratitude note.? You may have to write more than one note a day to thank all employees before the end of the month, but the extra effort is worth it.? Seeing and acknowledging actual effort, a sincere message is always appreciated and will build more trust between you and your employees than any one-day team-building workshop.??

I have used this practice for almost a decade in the schools I have led.? Each day, one of my first tasks is to write three appreciations to three different employees.? I get a fantastic amount of pleasure from writing and giving these notes away.? I know that they matter because I see these notes pinned up on boards and kept on desks as I visit classrooms and offices.? We all want recognition. You have the power to recognize those who make your vision come alive each day.? Start today.

Final Thought

The current season of thanks and gratitude allows you to begin these traditions.? When we turn the calendar to 2022, don’t let these habits fall by the wayside.? Your organization and the people inside your organization will be happier, healthier, and more productive if you continue to keep them safe, respect their time, and build trust.

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