“Thank you” is a powerful phrase, which is why we spent November’s town hall discussing several dimensions of gratitude in the workplace.
We started by reviewing October’s town hall on the scariest word of all… audit. When you audit proof your program you may uncover lots of things that aren’t working and sometimes it is the people you work with. Perhaps it is a colleague who is entering data incorrectly or a school partner who is ignoring your data request emails. You want to solve this problem, but how?
Luckily, there are lots of good resources out there. Below are our suggested next steps based on a handful of resources from The Management Center. Click here for a full explanation of each step.
- Describe the problem
- Own the You-Problems
- Consider the Them-Problems
- Acknowledge the Context
- Talk to the Person Honestly
It’s important to say thank you to everyone you work with, even those who are challenging to work with. Take a minute to think about it – how many people contribute to your data collection efforts? You may think of just three or four people you work with regularly, but the actual number is likely in the dozens or even hundreds of people. Think of the teacher entering attendance data, the service provider printing out sign in sheets, or the data entry specialist inputting the service participation. There are so many people who contribute to data collection and we should always find ways to thank them.
How can you thank them? Saying “thank you” is an effective and easy way to show gratitude, but there are many other ways. You can write an appreciation note, give public praise, or pay for lunch. Click here for even more ideas.
Before you go on to your next task, take a moment to think of someone you work with who needs to be thanked and send them a quick note. You’ll be grateful you did.
