A while back I did a huge favor for someone and never heard anything from them… Zip, zilch, nada, nothing. Just a simple “thank you” would have been nice…but they acted as if it was expected of me. To say that I was disappointed is putting it mildly.
To me, disappointed is a very powerful and scary word. You see, disappointed can turn into other “dis” words, such as disgruntled, discouraged, disenthralled, disillusioned, disheartened and possibly even dissatisfi ed with our current personal or business relationship. I might start noticing that this relationship (business or personal) is really all about YOU and how YOU can benefi t; the words reciprocation or gratitude don’t seem to be in your vocabulary.
Everyone likes to be remembered, thanked or appreciated for doing favors, going above and beyond, being courteous, considerate, thoughtful or kind. Being “taken for granted” stinks. Forgetting to show any kind of appreciation for someone who did something for you…that they didn’t have to do…can end up causing you problems later on. You will never know when someday you may need a helping hand, and all those people you took for granted and/ or never thanked might NOT be so readily available to help you out.
Francesca Gino, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, did some research on gratitude and looked at 41 fund-raisers at a university, all receiving a fi xed salary. The director visited half of the fund-raisers in person, telling them, “I am very grateful for your hard work. We sincerely appreciate your contributions to the university.” The second group received no such expressions of gratitude. What was the impact of the director’s thanks? Gino said that “the expression of gratitude increased the number of calls by more than 50%” for the week, while fund-raisers who received no thanks made about the same number of calls as the previous week.
Organizations and leaders who miss chances to express gratitude lose opportunities to motivate people that actually cost them nothing. Simply stated: gratitude is free and profi table. People may not show that they are upset about not being thanked…but when the time comes for them to help YOU out again, they may just be a little too busy that day. You can transform your relationships, business and personal life with the Power of Gratitude! Never underestimate the power of a thank-you and never pass up on the opportunity to say those two words. “It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy.” – Anonymous
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