Our mothers taught us always to use the magic words – “please” and “thank you.” They often couched the suggestion with various aphorisms like, “you attract more bees with honey than with vinegar.”
Tired and trite as such counsel may seem, the core truth is timeless and unchanged. Such behavior is important, even in business. A manager’s “please” and “thank you” carry much more meaning to employees than they do coming from a peer. That’s because people appreciate recognition, especially when it comes from those who may have the capacity to shape their future.
In the course of interviewing employees in a client organization a few years ago, we heard a story from people in the unionized manufacturing operation that underlines this point.
Late in the afternoon one day, a critical machine broke down, causing a shutdown of the entire production line. An early diagnosis determined it would keep the line down for at least 48 hours – maybe longer. The maintenance team, consisting of about a half-dozen men, stayed past quitting time and dove in. In fact, they worked through the night and, by mid-morning the next day, had the machine up and running again. The projected 48 hours of downtime was cut to a mere 15.
Sure, these union machinists were on the clock. And, of course, they collected a hefty overtime bonus for their hard work. The union contract would have allowed them to quit after their requisite eight hours and return the next day at their usual starting time. But, as a team, they decided to work through the night and get the production line back up and running.
A few days later, after these men punched in one morning, their supervisor greeted them with a boxful of warm donuts, a pot of fresh coffee, a “thank you” for each, and a big smile. He paid for the coffee and donuts out of his own pocket. The smile and “thank yous” were free.
Seems like a simple gesture and an obvious one.
When one of these guys told us the story, he got emotional and a little choked up at the recollection. In fact, when I retell the story, so do I.
We heard that story about five times from different people, only one of whom was actually a member of the original crew that worked through the night. The story was so compelling, everyone we talked to seemed familiar with it.
Now, here’s the amazing part of my story…
We later learned that the actual event had taken place more than three years before we heard about it.
Small effort? Yes. Big impact? You bet.
When businesspeople talk about “reward and recognition,” it usually is in terms of formal systems, where people’s performance is measured on the fiscal year and they earn credits toward a reward: a gift card or something from the company store. Maybe they get their name in the company newsletter.
That’s all well and good, and I don’t discourage that kind of activity. But if that is the only way people are recognized for their hard work, the result will be a closely aligned set of behaviors within the margins of those pre-set determinants of desirable conduct.
Go ahead and do that, if you wish, but don’t overlook the far more important and meaningful kinds of reward and recognition… the simple ones, like:
• A big smile
• A pat on the back
• A “Thank you for your hard work”
• Impromptu team meetings to tell them that they’re doing a heckuva good job
In short, do the kinds of things you yourself would want to hear from your manager. You’ll be amazed at how well your words are received. Who knows? Maybe they’ll talk about it for years to come.
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