Giving Thanks - The Gift That Keeps On Giving

This is the time of year when we get to say thank you.

Ideally we should be approaching every day with an attitude of gratitude.

December is gift giving month. A time to say “We care and appreciate you.” With so many gifts being given there is the challenge of standing out, being remembered, being relevant. Also who should you give gifts to and of what value?

If this is something you are grappling with here are some extra thoughts to throw into the mix:

Have you thought about saying thank you to your internal team first? 

Your team has been alongside you throughout the year. Yes, you paid them and they are lucky to have a job. The flip side, of course, is you are lucky to have employees! (Finding staff is the single biggest current challenge facing many of the businesses I work with - good team members are hard to find.)

How do you intend to say thank you to your team?  Will you organise a fun team day out,  give them a bonus,  a meal out together, a BBQ or a gift of some sort of?.  Many team members go into shut down and think about whether they really want to come back to work or not which is why some of the highest movement of staff happens in January and February - after people have had time to reflect.   Ensure you send your team off feeling appreciated and with a really positive memory to end the year so that they look forward to coming back and doing it all again in 2021.

Have you considered thanking your suppliers?  Normally we expect our suppliers to give us a gift because, after all we are their customer and have spent a lot of money with them.  However, just as you do not have a business without staff -  without great suppliers your business is in equal jeopardy.  The current shortage of containers worldwide, the problems with shipping and the difficulty in getting materials is a stark reminder of how important good supplier relationships are.  Could you use this time of year to strengthen the ties you have with them and show some appreciation?

Another group of people that is worth thanking is the support services you have.  Your lawyer, accountant, banker, board members, key advisors.  Going into next year your relationship with these people is going to remain incredibly important as the world navigates the fallout from Covid and charters the way to recovery. 

Generosity is a rare quality that can make a big difference in your business.  A culture of generosity lifts the energy levels in a team and helps people focus on what is right rather than what is wrong. We can be generous in so many ways. Consider your words: When we are aiming to catch people doing things right and being generous with praise in an authentic and sincere way focused on specific actions we encourage others to do the same. December might be gift giving month but don’t limit your thanks and appreciation to a single month - make it part of your culture and you will find the gift that keeps on giving.

Here's to your success!