Here at gThankYou we think celebrating in the workplace is a big deal; in fact, it’s critically important.

Many of us spend half of our waking days at work. We must find meaning and joy and personal growth in our work. If we don’t, it’s drudgery. It is essential for leaders to create real meaning in people’s work-lives. Often leaders make it more difficult than it really is.

OK. So what’s one easy way to bring meaning to work? Give up? It’s to say “thank you” often. Not just “thanks” or “I appreciate that”, say it forcefully, look someone in the eye and really mean it.

Yeah, I know this is simplistic and sappy and something your mother taught you. But, the truth is this: many business leaders don’t do it.

But Harvey Mackay does.

Harvey Mackay is one of my favorite business gurus. He is insightful, successful, entertaining — and on target. I read his column every week.

The Crux

As the consummate salesman, Harvey has an important motto: “Short Notes Yield Long Results”.

What SNYLR means is that “thank-you” notes are a time-tested way to communicate “recognition and courtesy, just as important as remembering names and taking a personal interest in people. And it’s not just for sales” (his words).

Twenty years ago, Harvey’s Mackay Envelope was already a huge success and Harvey was a business-guru-newbie. I had the good fortune to work with him on a couple projects. Afterward, he invited me to the launch party for his first book, “Swim with the Sharks, Without being Eaten Alive” , which became a smashing success and New York Times Bestseller.

At the time I was working around-the-clock on my first company start-up and Harvey was working long, long days to kick-off book sales of “Sharks”. I asked Harvey to inscribe my copy of his book. He did. I sent him a thank-you note. And what did he do?

He sent me a thank-you note thanking me for my thank you note!

Talk about Thank-You Best Practices! Here’s a guy whose book has praise from Gerald Ford and Lee Iacocca and he still has time to mail me a thank-you note.

And I’ve never forgotten it. (The note is tucked inside my copy of the book to this day).

Lessons Learned

You are never, ever too busy to say “thank you”. And the #1 way to say “thank you” with impact is by sending a personal note.

Jack Welch is famous for it; Tom Peters is famous for it; Ronald Reagan was famous for it.

Why don’t you become famous for it?

The positive impact lasts a long, long time.

The Bottom Line

Celebrating work is essential. Saying “thank you” with a personal note is one-to-one celebration. “Short Notes Yield Long Results” (SNYLR).

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