Expressing Gratitude is Essential

God has given each of us a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have we used one to say "Thank you"? ~ William A. Ward

Somewhere along the way, it seems we've forgotten the power of the written word.  Douglas Conant, the former Campbell's Soup CEO, says he wrote at least 30,000 thank you notes to employees over the course of his 10-year career leading the soup giant. "You have to take a structured approach," he says. "It's helpful if you're very intentional about it."

Tom Peters, a management expert, says the notes should be handwritten -- "barely readable scrawl is best. It really says you're being personal." Peters, a big fan of the practice himself, points to both former General Electric CEO Jack Welch and George H.W. Bush as famous thank-you writers. 

Set a goal of writing ten or more thank you notes a week. Then, start writing! Write personal notes to everyone - your clients, assistants, agency head, associates, your children, your spouse! You get the idea. Everyone needs encouragement and likes to hear, "thank you".  Let people know you are aware of what they did and that you appreciate it. 

 In this season of thanksgiving, we want to offer a personal "thank you" to our valued clients and friends. We wish you God's richest blessings. May you continue to reap rich rewards for all you do and have done to make others' lives better.