Giving the Gift of Appreciation

When holidays and dedicated days of gratitude approach, social media is showered with posts announcing the occasion. Accompanied by these posts are frequent questions and advice about how to show gratitude, both personally and professionally. On the professional side, these questions often come from team leaders looking for creative and clever ideas to recognize their respective team members, almost always in the form of tangible gifts. It is a genuine sentiment and a bit of an unnecessary one.

Creative and clever gestures of gratitude can be great, but many times they fall short in understanding and demonstrating our appreciation in a way our teams actually feel appreciated. We want to give them something to open, something symbolic and meaningful (and within an often-limited budget) yet we reach out to internet strangers and ask their advice on giving something personal to people they have never met.

The good news is, the answer is a lot simpler than trying to get gourmet sandwiches delivered to 14 houses at the same time. To find the answer you are looking for, you need only ask your team what they want and then give it to them. Yes, it diminishes the element of surprise, which is a really fun part of gift giving, but it is important to remember that the focus of gratitude is on the receiver and the purpose is to make sure that gratitude is clear and received by them. The best way to make sure your gratitude is clear is to ask your team how they want to be appreciated and then appreciate them that way.

If you are diametrically opposed to directly asking your team what they want, let the research do the work for you. What they have been telling us over and over again- what our team members have been telling us over and over again- is that staff feel most appreciated when you, as their leader, tell them how much you appreciate them. Frequently and specifically. It is that simple. Unfortunately, we do not always listen. Or maybe we are just skeptical about the simplicity of it. But it really is as simple as that. The research shows that 67% of staff name praise as their number one motivator for performance and 69% say they would work harder if they were better recognized. It ranks higher than even money.

Staff want to be recognized and shown gratitude by you through your words. In your feedback and recognition. As their leader, they want to know how much you appreciate them and exactly what you appreciate about them. You can do it in writing and in speaking, publicly and privately, for big wins and smaller ones. Do it sincerely and often. Take every opportunity to express your gratitude with your words and then back it up with your actions. Give your team every opportunity to keep showing you the great work that you appreciate and continue to support their growth in doing it even better.

Providing a tangible gift to show your gratitude is a wonderful addition to your praise, and if you choose to do so during the holidays (or any other time for that matter), make sure it is in addition to your praise and not in lieu of it. When you are choosing that tangible gift, once again, be sure to find out from your staff what they most want. And once again, if you are loathe to ask, let the research inform your decision. In nearly 60% of cases, what staff say the most want as a gift is money and time off compared to only 10% who say they want a physical gift. Yes, it is fun to give someone something to open. By all means, wrap that gift card up as creatively as you wish! For those who prefer physical gifts, go ahead and do that.

Showing gratitude to your employees during the holidays is important just like it is throughout the rest of the year. As a leader, expressing your gratitude needs to be a central, ongoing part of your work with your team, not just for 6 weeks in the winter. If you want to amplify your gratitude during the holidays, amplify away, but do not reserve your gratitude for the end of the year. Share it generously and consistently throughout the year and make sure you leave no doubt about how grateful you really are.