The thank-you that makes people work harder
A sincere thank-you can make people work noticeably harder. In a 2010 study, Adam Grant and Francesca Gino found that university fundraisers who received a short thank-you from their director made about 50% more calls the following week, while fundraisers who didn't hear it made about the same number as before. People work harder when they feel their effort is seen and valued.
I'll be honest. When a lot of business owners hear "show more appreciation," they roll their eyes a little.
"I pay them. That's the thank-you."
I get it. When you're running everything, saying thank you can feel like one more soft thing on a list full of hard things. But the research says it's not soft at all. It's one of the cheapest ways to get more out of your team.
What the research says
Adam Grant and Francesca Gino studied fundraisers at a university call center. These were people calling alumni to ask for donations, which is not exactly a fun job. Lots of hang-ups. Lots of "no."
One group got a visit from the director of annual giving. She told them, in short, that she was grateful for their hard work. That's it. A couple of sentences. The next week, that group made about 50% more calls. The group that didn't get the visit stayed about the same.
When the researchers dug into why, it came down to people feeling socially valued. Not just "I did a good job," but "someone noticed, and it mattered to them."
So why does this work?
Most people on your team get plenty of feedback when something goes wrong. They hear about the typo, the late delivery, the client who complained. They hear a lot less when something goes right.
Over time, that teaches people that their effort is invisible unless they mess up. And invisible effort is hard to keep giving.
How to say thank you so it lands
Be specific. "Thanks for everything" is nice. "Thank you for staying calm with that client yesterday. You saved that account" is powerful. The same rule applies to all feedback, which I wrote about in Most feedback makes performance worse.
Say what it made possible. Connect their work to the result. "Because you handled the scheduling, I got the proposal out on time."
Say it soon. A thank-you on Tuesday for something that happened Tuesday hits harder than a mention at the year-end party.
Write it down sometimes. A two-line text or handwritten note gets reread. People keep those.
Mean it. People can smell a forced compliment from a mile away. If you have to make something up, wait until you don't.
What it looks like
I coach a lot of people who work for business owners, and I consistenly hear sentiments like: "I don't need a party. I just want to know he noticed."
One client told me her boss sent a single text after a big event she ran: "That went off without a hitch because of you. Thank you." She told me it carried her for weeks.
It took him ten seconds.
The bonus
Teams that feel appreciated are also more likely to speak up when something's wrong. When people know their work matters to you, they're more willing to bring you the hard stuff, too. That's a big part of building a team that tells you the truth.
So who on your team did something this week you noticed but never mentioned? Text them before you close your laptop today.
If you want help building a team that follows through without you hovering, let's talk.
Frequently asked questions
Does showing appreciation improve employee performance?
In Grant and Gino's 2010 study, fundraisers who received a brief thank-you from their director made about 50% more calls the following week.
What's the best way to thank an employee?
Be specific about what they did, explain what it made possible, say it soon after it happens, and occasionally put it in writing.
Why does gratitude motivate people?
Research suggests gratitude makes people feel socially valued, meaning their effort is seen and matters to someone, which encourages them to keep putting in effort.
Sources: Grant, A. M., & Gino, F. (2010). A little thanks goes a long way: Explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(6), 946–955.
