The Gift of Gratitude
There is always a pile of to do's to slog through before taking end of year vacation time: changing passwords before they expire and remembering to record them in my password manager, finishing meeting notes while I can still remember the context, sending out team meeting invitations for the new year, cleaning up my inbox and my to-do list (I'm never going to watch that video from June) .
And there is the matter of gifts for my co-workers. I'm not talking shopping, or making cookies. My co-workers are all over the country, so those would be impossible to deliver.
I give out gratitude.
The last few days, I've been taking the time to write a personal thank you to my co-workers, with a CC to their manager. In each note, I call out something I appreciate in HOW they work. It could be their sense of humor, how they approach and resolve conflict, how they focus and get things done, how they have creative out of the box ideas, how they keep so many things in motion at once. I also acknowledge how their specific work has contributed to the success of the team .
Knowing that our co-workers SEE US as an individual and respect our contributions -- that is a unique one of a kind gift, and one none of us minds getting. Especially if we're working on a virtual team.
It's a gift that is easy to deliver, no matter where in the world your teammates are. All it takes is a little thought and time.
Wishing all of you a Happy New Year, and looking forward in Hope to 2021.
Well said, Beth! That was one of the many reasons why I enjoyed working with you. Despite everything going on, whether it be personal, or professional, you always made me feel like I was the most important person in the room. More importantly, I was there to witness you do that with everyone else in the room, too. Warm wishes for you, and your family, as we put this year behind us.