Thanksgiving With Soul

You may be capable of great things,
But life consists of small things.
- 365 Tao

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American Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Rather than telling you why it's important to say thanks, here's a story of what happens when thanks is overlooked...

Yesterday I spoke with a CEO of a huge company in the travel industry who put his whole Self on the line to give his leadership team a great bonus this year.

His company was thriving and growing like crazy before the pandemic and then in the last 18 months, it crashed, hard, and is now slowly rebuilding itself.

Here he was, with 1/4 of his team left, exhausted, tired, and he wanted to pay them A LOT to thank them for being by his side, through the shit and all.

He negotiated tooth and nail with the board to get the bonuses approved and he was overjoyed as he told each of his leaders about their bonus packages.

Then something terrible happened.

None of the leaders said thank you.

Not one.

Not one person said the small thing: thank you or expressed appreciation for the bonus they received.

And so as a coach I always want to know, what's going on? What's the real challenge here?

This brings up two things:

  1. Do we forget that leaders also deeply want to hear 'thank you'? When was the last time you thanked your boss or your Accounting Company or the Management at your kids Daycare, for all their energy and their commitment to helping you thrive? Are we forgetting leaders at the top?
  2. And, is money not the right bonus? Do employees want something else to be thanked and recognized, if so, have we asked them?

In a recent McKinsey study on the Great Attrition or the Great Attraction, employees stated that the top 2 reasons they seek to leave their companies is because they didn't feel VALUED by their companies and they didn't feel a sense of BELONGING at work.

Compensation and pay bonuses do matter, but people are actually in desperate need of gifts that address the Heart and Soul.

So if you're giving out bonuses and recognition to finish off 2021 - how can you ensure there's more Heart and Soul in the package you give to your staff?

Ask them what would really light them up. Get the feedback. Be creative. And try to give what THEY want, not what you think they want.

And second, if you're receiving thanks make sure you DISH back!

  • For Thanksgiving and the coming weeks, consciously stop and say thanks to a few key people around you.
  • Write their names down and think of a meaningful way to thank them.
  • And don't skip over the CEO or the boss - in fact, you might be the ONLY person this year who says thanks. You see them. You notice their efforts. And you appreciate them.

Be thankful. Watch what happens. And happy thanksgiving to everyone. xx

xx TraceyLiv

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