I recently received this letter from a regional manager who had purchased my book on Appreciation. Her experience serves to affirm how just a small bit of appreciation and recognition can change lives, relationships, and organizations. In the book I say,”Appreciation is a FREE GIFT that you can give to anyone you encounter– it is completely your choice. And each time you choose to thank someone for a job well done, you are making the world a better place.” Thank you, Shannon, for making your world a better place!
Barbara,
I recently read your book “The Simple Truths of Appreciation”. It really
moved me, and helped me to see that I have been lacking in that area as a
manager. Although I try to recognize employees that have made great
achievements with the bank, after reading your book, I realized I was
missing other more promising opportunities. I realized that some of my
associates that need the most encouragement are getting it the least.
I decided to start scheduling time to show my appreciation and have been
doing so in the form of thank you letters, phone calls, group recognition
and one on one communication. I have made a special effort to commend my
employees that are struggling on some of their smaller successes. The
response has been wonderful. Some of my more timid employees are starting
to come out of their shells and show leadership potential…something I
didn’t see in them before. Some of my employees who were under performing
and whose light seemed to have gone out are now high performers again.
Today I had a meeting with my head tellers. At the end of the meeting, one
of them (who had put in her two weeks notice last Friday) announced to the
group that she had changed her mind about leaving. She said that when she
came to work Friday, her mind was made up. Our Human Resources Department
offered her more money so that we might retain her. She told them she’d
think about it, but that she really wanted the shorter hours she was being
offered to be a bookkeeper part time. We were convinced that we would be
unable to change her mind. But she told us today, that Friday afternoon,
she received a thank you card from me in the mail. I had sent it several
days before (before I knew that she was considering leaving). In the card,
I thanked her for doing a great job on the presentation that she prepared
for our last meeting. I also told her how much potential she has and how
proud I am of how she has grown as a leader. She said that reading that
card and realizing that she is appreciated and that she is making a
difference completely changed her mind.
I cannot express how happy this makes me. Not only am I keeping a valuable
employee, but her comments made me feel that I am making a difference too.
Now my light is shining even brighter. All of this I owe to you. I cannot
thank you enough! You are an inspiration, and I will never again allow
appreciation to become an after thought. It is now at the top of my
priorities…right where it should be.
Shannon M. Brown
Regional Operations Manager
To learn more about Barbara’s work or to order this book, go to www.barbaraglanz.com
