• 804.241.9757
  • [email protected]
  • Contact
  • Log In
  • 0Shopping Cart
thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World
  • About
  • Services
  • TITAN
  • Team
  • Blog
  • Online
  • Books
  • Clients
  • Contact
  • Menu

Build your skills! Take our eLearning courses on TITAN!

World-class eLearning courses with videos, exercises, downloads, and a certificate of completion. Get started today!

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

Saying Thank You to Your Employees

November 23, 2020/0 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Dr. Cindy McGovern offers five meaningful ways employers can say “thank you” to their staffs during the holidays and throughout the year.

Today’s post is by Dr. Cindy McGovern, author of Every Job is a Sales Job (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

A holiday party for employees is a nice touch as the year winds down, and nobody ever turned down a big bonus as a reward for doing a good job month after month. But the best way a business leader can say “thank you” to valuable employees might not have anything to do with parties, money, or gifts.

The most meaningful way to show a hard-working, loyal staff that you truly value and appreciate them is to listen to them and respond when they have ideas, complaints, and personal struggles.

Here are five ways to show your gratitude to employees this season and all year round.

Solicit their ideas

When former PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico sent a video to the corporation’s thousands of employees saying they should “take ownership of the company,” janitor Richard Montanez took it seriously. He pitched Enrico an idea for a new product that he created by dusting the company’s popular Cheetos with chili powder instead of cheese powder. The result: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are among the company’s top sellers, and Montanez, who never went to college, is a marketing executive worth millions.

Montanez didn’t set out to create a goldmine snack. In fact, he was just trying to salvage a pile of Cheetos rejects that had come through a malfunctioning machine without any cheese dust so his family could eat them.

But Enrico gave Montanez the same attention and respect he gave to the corporation’s product development team. Now, Montanez is one of the company’s most-enthusiastic ambassadors.

Let them solve problems

At Audi, two maintenance workers noticed the ventilation system in the car maker’s buildings ran overnight even though no employees were present. They suggested switching the ventilators off after 10 p.m. and saved the corporation $122,000 a year.

Audi has an employee suggestion program that encourages workers to find and correct waste in their own areas. The approach saved the company more than $40 million in 2017 alone.

Employees who save the company money win a financial reward.

Accommodate personal needs

Managers who bother to get to know their employees understand that they occasionally have a need for extra time off, an alternative schedule, the ability to work from home or another accommodation because of family obligations.

Companies as large as GE and as small as a five-employee contracting company are agreeing to flex hours to help out their employees—and to boost their ability to recruit newcomers.

In a USA Today survey of 520 hiring managers, 44 percent said their companies are allowing flexibility as a way to attract and retain employees.

Reward them for good deeds

Hardee’s presented a 17-year-old employee with a $1,000 check simply because he offered his arm to an elderly customer who was walking to her car with the aid of a cane. He was washing the store’s windows at the Knoxville fast-food restaurant when he spotted the customer, who told the news media that she felt “a little touch of heaven” when she took the teenager’s arm.

The owner of a McDonald’s franchise in Florida told news media that an employee who jumped out of a drive-thru window and ran in front of a coasting car to help stop it is “just that kind of guy” after the heroic act went viral on the internet. A customer had lost consciousness while placing her order, allowing the car to drift forward with screaming children in the backseat.

Allowing staff members to react according to their own consciences and then rewarding them when they do can encourage more helpful behavior—and get the company some positive publicity in the process.

Involve them in service projects

Businesses that give back to the community are as popular with their own employees as they are with the recipients of their charity.

“Purpose has become something of a corporate buzzword in recent years,” author and engineer Christoph Lueneburger wrote in Harvard Business Review.

To that end, businesses are engaging employees in community service projects, which, Lueneburger wrote, engages employees, makes them proud of their employers and helps to retain them.

He pointed to American Standard, which launched a program to donate sanitary latrine covers to poor communities with no plumbing. Its sales increased 62 percent in the 20 months following the launch, and employee involvement skyrocketed by 180 percent.

A tip: Whatever you do to say “thank you” to your employees, make it last all year. The holiday season is the traditional time to show your appreciation, but don’t make it the only time.

DR. CINDY MCGOVERN is known as the “First Lady of Sales.” She speaks and consults internationally on sales, interpersonal communication and leadership, and is the author of the Wall Street Journal business best-selling book, Every Job Is a Sales Job: How to Use the Art of Selling to Win at Work (CLICK HERE to get your copy).

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog. It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!). SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

https://i2.wp.com/www.thoughtleadersllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/20201123-Thank-You-Sign.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1 1280 1920 Ryan Shaw https://thoughtleadersllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo.png Ryan Shaw2020-11-23 08:00:552019-12-10 21:27:08Saying Thank You to Your Employees
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to the blog HERE!

Get free email updates NOW!
It’s the best 5 minutes a week you can spend on your development.

Enter your email address:

Get new posts FREE via RSS!
Follow thoughtLEADERS on LinkedInFollow thoughtLEADERS on twitter
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Check Out Our Courses

Our courses teach immediately applicable skills that have real impact on your business. From leadership to strategy and negotiation to conflict resolution, we have a broad set of course offerings that will drive immediate performance improvements.
OUR COURSES

Our Courses

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

eLearning Courses on TITAN

Puzzle Pieces
Structured Thought: Problem Solving

Clearly define a problem, scope all issues related to the problem, generate potential solutions, then analyze and select the best solution by using time-tested critical thinking methods and tools.

VIEW COURSE
Group of Business People Meeting
Structured Thought and Communication

Craft clear and compelling recommendations that resonate with stakeholders. Get your ideas approved by using a proven method for delivering executive-level communications.

VIEW COURSE
Different Types of Line and Bar Charts
Principles of Chart Design

Create well-designed presentation charts that get your message across quickly and clearly to drive your audience to action. From data charts to concept charts, these methods help make your point.

VIEW COURSE
Wagon Wheel
Engagement Management

Whether you’re an internal or external consultant or a project leader, learn proven methods, techniques, and processes to effectively lead consulting engagements that drive your client’s success.

VIEW COURSE
Cog Wheels
Strategic Business Planning

Use a straightforward and effective strategic planning process that shows how to craft a clear, compelling plan for your organization - not just one time, but on an ongoing basis year after year.

VIEW COURSE
Deliberate Decision Making
Deliberate Decision Making

Make better, faster, and more effective decisions. Apply simple yet powerful decision making tools to define decision authority, manage risk, increase accountability, and drive execution.

VIEW COURSE
Man reading stories from a book
Storytelling for Leaders

Create business stories that inspire people, build connections with your audience, and ultimately advance your organization's goals by using a repeatable, straightforward method.

VIEW COURSE
Storytelling for Salespeople
Storytelling for Salespeople

Create and deliver stories that will take your sales efforts to the next level. Connect with and convince buyers in all situations using memorable stories. These stronger relationships drive more sales.

VIEW COURSE
Leading through Change
Leading through Change

Lead your organization through the most challenging times using a proven change management process. Get people through the change and back to driving performance quickly and effectively.

VIEW COURSE
Mountain Climbing Expedition
Building Leadership Resilience

Prepare your body and brain to be ready for and recover from your biggest challenges. Build approaches for overcoming stress, managing reactions to difficult events, and leading more effectively.

VIEW COURSE
Compelling Executive Presence
Compelling Executive Presence

Build your ability to connect with your audience and convey your ideas in a clear and resonant way. Create meaningful connections between you and your audience to build buy-in.

VIEW COURSE
Plant Growing in a Hand
Coaching for Impact: Foundation Course

Coach employees for performance and development more effectively by helping them identify and pursue their own solutions. Create the right environment and conditions to help them grow.

VIEW COURSE
previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

Books You MUST Read

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider
  • The Elegant Pitch
  • Firestarters
  • Philanthropy Revolution

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Categories

Our Course Offerings

Leadership Skills

Creating Your Leadership Maxims
Leading Inside the Box
Leading With Influence
Leading Through Change
Structured Problem Solving
Deliberate Decision Making
Strategic Business Planning
Simplified Strategic Planning
Coaching for Impact: Foundations
Coaching for Impact: Applications
Building Leadership Resilience
Engagement Management
Project Management Reality

Communication Skills

Communications: Foundations
Communications: Applications
Principles of Chart Design
Storytelling for Leaders
Storytelling for Salespeople
Compelling Executive Presence
Advanced Facilitation Skills

Individual Skills

Conflict Resolution
Everything is Negotiable
thoughtLEADERSHIP: Innovation
Building Personal Resilience
Time Management Mastery

Coaching & Consulting

©2021 thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
How willing are you to ask for help when you need it? EKG Pulse Graph with Glowing Blue Line EKG Pulse Graph with Glowing Blue Line How willing is your organization to walk away from low-margin business?
Scroll to top