grat·i·tude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
Chexology's CEO/Founder Derek Pacqué provides his tips and ideas on showing gratitude for his team with Chief Executive Magazine.
Below is a re-post of selected portions of the Chief Executive's article featuring Chexology.
In the post-Covid rough-and-tumble battle for top talent, where young workers are seeking far more than a paycheck and convincing boomers to stick around is critical, showing gratitude and recognition are essential leadership tools—perhaps the essential leadership tools. This isn’t soft. This is strategic.
For executives facing down the rest of 2021 and looking into 2022 and beyond, the battle for great people is the whole ballgame. In survey after survey by Chief Executive and our sister publications Corporate Board Member and StrategicCFO360, the race to grab or retain key people is cited as the most important challenge the nation’s business leaders say they are facing.
Focus On The Individual Derek Pacque, CEO Chexology, New York City
Whether it’s in our weekly team meetings or randomly picking up the phone, I always acknowledge team members directly. I make a point of calling out their names and specifically detailing what they accomplished. I never say thanks to the “products team” or “Sally and her team” because it’s too general and sounds generic. It also does not name the specific people involved in the task. I dig deeper because I want people to genuinely know the positive role they played in that initiative, understand I know they went above and beyond, and hear from me that their actions didn’t go unnoticed.
I like to celebrate office milestones through experience-driven events and outings. For example, when we close on new projects, we may go out together for dinner to share the success. I always make a toast and go around letting everyone know specifically how they helped the project come to fruition. I try and use as many details as possible and personalize why I am grateful for their efforts, contribution, and leadership. It brings the team together.
Read the full article from Chief Executive Magazine here.