“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
We’re feeling overwhelmed with gratitude today. We are especially grateful to:
- the talented risk champions who attended the Risk Summit in Philadelphia; thank you for giving your time, your attention and your enthusiasm to our guest speakers, sponsors and your hosts–the staff and board of NRMC
- the extraordinarily creative members of our Risk Summit faculty, who wove inspiration from the world of art into carefully planned and expertly led workshops, seminars, panel sessions and a memorable game
- the generous leaders of the Risk Summit partner companies, whose financial support made the conference possible
We’re also grateful to the conference attendees who purchased copies of our book, World-Class Risk Management for Nonprofits, and to co-author Norman Marks and our wonderful editors, NRMC staff member Erin Gloeckner and board member Kitty Holt. Learn more about this comprehensive risk management and risk leadership guidebook on the NRMC website. We’ll begin fulfillment of hardcopy orders tomorrow. If you’ve already ordered a copy, thank you!
The Art of Saying Thanks
Although saying “thank you” is arguably easier than saying “I’m sorry,” many nonprofit leaders don’t flex their thank you muscle often enough. A sincere “thank you” for support, a job well done, or simply for caring, affects the speaker and the recipient in interesting ways. Did you know, for example, that saying “thank you” can boost your personal sense of well-being?
In his article, “The Two Most Important Words,” retired Mattel CEO Robert Eckert offers five simple tips for expressing thanks in a work setting:
- Make time: Set aside time every week to acknowledge people’s good work.
- Get personal: Handwrite thank-you notes whenever you can. The personal touch matters in the digital age.
- Be timely and specific: Punish in private; praise in public. Make the public praise timely and specific.
- Let the boss know: Remember to carbon copy a supervisor when delivering praise or thanks. “Don’t tell me. Tell my boss.”
- Build a grateful culture: Foster a culture of gratitude. It’s a game-changer for sustainable improved performance.
To learn the art of saying thank you at work and to learn why “showing gratitude at work is weirdly complicated,” read this “Guide to Showing Gratitude to Peers, Managers and Employees” by Kate Matsudaira and Kate Stull.
Read “The Science Of Gratitude And Why It’s Important in Your Workplace,” from Fast Company, to learn why the lack of gratitude is a “major factor driving job dissatisfaction, turnover, absenteeism” and more.