Appreciating the “Thank You”
With our inaugural newsletter arriving just after Thanksgiving, I would like to share four thoughts with you on two of the most important words that leaders should consider incorporating in their vocabulary – Thank-You. These two words carry a lot of meaning both for the giver and the recipient.
First, we all appreciate being thanked. We don’t do things for others to be thanked, but we do appreciate the Thank-You when it comes our way.
I spent forty-four years coaching and teaching at the high school and collegiate levels. As the years went on, I was fortunate to receive a number of Thank-You notes form former players and students. I was so moved by them that I named a drawer in my dresser my “Keeper’s Drawer.” This was the drawer where I put these notes. I have yet to take the time to relax and read through them, but I certainly plan to do so. Therefore, I know first-hand that Thank-You notes are appreciated by the recipients.
Secondly, I played in college for a coach named Gordie Gillespie. He was and is an extraordinary coach and man. He has been inducted into seventeen Halls of Fame and is the winningest coach in the history of collegiate baseball. No one I have ever known has written more congratulatory or Thank-You notes than Gordie. I recently had lunch with our former college president and the former executive director of our park district. When Gordie’s name came up in our conversation, both men referenced a Thank-You note they had received from him. These two men received tons of correspondence in their working years, but they remembered with great appreciation the note from Gord.
With email becoming so prevalent in today’s society, leaders may consider using the hand-written note more to thank their constituents. We know a Thank-You is appreciated and the hand-written note can make the Thank-You more personal. Something to consider.
Thirdly, the German philosopher, Meister Eckhart wrote something that succinctly covers Thank-You when he wrote, “If the only prayer you ever say is ‘thank you,’ it will be enough.” Especially in our country, we have so much to be thankful for. My good friend and fellow coach, Jack Hermanski, has a great perspective on this. He has fought MS for the past seventeen years, but consistently reiterates, “I look around and see so many people who have it so much worse than me.” Despite his plight in life, he remains thankful for what he has. “Thank-You” may very well be our greatest prayer.
Finally, years ago I heard an historian say, “You know who built this country? The top politicians did not nor did those of wealth. The ‘nobodies’ built America. The everyday working man whose work often goes unnoticed and unappreciated built this country.” So, leaders may want to consider thanking those in their organization who are rarely thanked. Thanking the nobodies could become an important part of your leadership value system.
Thanksgiving could have leaders reflect on how much Thank-You notes are appreciated; the value of the hand-written note; the prayer, “Thank-You;” and thanking the nobodies.
Pat thanks for putting me on the news letter list. I hope to see you sometime soon and sit and talk with you again. I am sure Ray will want to also.
Jim Condill
Coach,
Great to hear from you! Glad things are going well.
I very much enjoyed reading your newsletter and thank you for providing me with some very useful leadership incites!
Sincerely,
Tom O’Malley Jr.
Coach,
I remember the first camp I went to that you were running….here I was a small kid from Homer and thinking how great it was to be at your camp. So here is a thank you from 40 years ago it was great to learn from you and carry some of those methods into my adult life. The thought of writing “Thank You Notes” is a common practice I do with my key account people and I personally send each of them a note of thanks when we complete jobs for them. So you are on point here with going back to the basics and you will reap the rewards of this special touch.
Be well and have a great Holiday Season.
Matt Cosme
Pat,
Couldn’t agree with you more regarding saying thank you! Great/good leaders do it and it does impact the staff in a positive way. And of course the thank you needs to be sincere! Hollow thank yous backfire. Believe me the staff knows the difference.
Coach, I have received numerous thank you cards from you over the years. It also seems that every great honor in my life has been followed by a congratulatory card or note from Gordie. I recently invested in new stationary just to say thank you and congratulations. Thank you for the reminder, and congratulations on the on your new endeavors.
Excellent reminder here, Sully and it makes me reflect on the greatness I was around in my years at St. Francis. As a cocky, angry young man, I couldn’t have benefited more than I did from the guidance of men like Gordie, Joe Heinsen, Tony Delgado, Jack Orr and you. When people ask me what made Gordie great, I generally respond that he made you believe you were better than you really were. That’s a leadership quality that no 18 yr-old kid can appreciate but as I’ve raised my children, coached baseball teams and developed into a business leader, I know now that those lessons were critically formative.
It pleases me to see that you are now sharing your incredible gifts with a wider audience. So, while it’s not a formal Thank You note this time, I do express a sincere gratitude for your leadership and guidance. I look forward to your future e-mails and to reading your book over the holidays.
God Bless.