Advertisement Feature
Think Brilliant Logo
Home

Saying "Thank You" More Often Could Boost Your Business

Kindness is contagious. It spreads. It’s viral. Simple daily acts of kindness and friendliness really do make a difference to people and those around them, at home and at work. They make people smile and we all like smiley faces.

Kindness is Contagious

Dave Kerpen, CEO, Speaker, Author, Chairman

Some CEOs recognise this and consciously build in being kind and doing good to others into their everyday working life. Take Dave Kerpen, speaker, author and CEO at Likeable Local and chairman at Likeable Media, for example. Kerpen writes and sends three or four thank you cards before he goes to work each morning.

He asks his management team to do the same 1 day every week. This leads to gratitude, loyalty, sense of pride and positive emotions. Who does he send thank you notes to Employees, clients, partners, the media... pretty much anyone! Anyone, whether he saw them the previous day or hasn’t spoken to them in a while. Kerpen claims it’s his most effective communication tool - so powerful that it has moved some recipients to tears.

Why Not Send an Email?

144800000000 emails are sent every day. Of these emails, 89BN are business emails and 55.8BN are personal.

It’s the personal, handwritten touch that really makes the difference. Email is so commonplace that a digital thank you just doesn’t have the same impact as a written message. Another CEO sends handwritten birthday cards to all of his 6,000 employees. That’s 16 cards a day – quite a lot for a busy CEO, but he obviously thinks it’s worth it.

Happy bithday notes to 6000 employees means 16 cards a day!

Conscious acts of giving and kindness are what count, be it a card, flowers, a box of chocolates or even some well-chosen, heartfelt words that show a person’s efforts are noticed and appreciated.

On recognition at work.

What do happy employees do better? They Achieve goals 31% more often. They are 36% more motivated and 33% more likely to help colleagues than unhappy ones. They are also happier individuals, have better overall performance, stay longer in their jobs and have a "give more" attitude.

On a personal level.

The power of handwritten thank you notes

Health Benefits: Good for the heart, reduces stress and releases "feel good" hormones. "A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees" - Amelia Earhart.

For both businesses and individuals, being kind to others is also being kind to yourself. Japanese researchers looking into what makes people happy identified a strong link between kindness and subjective happiness. They found that people who are kind to others and appreciative of them are more likely to be happy and have satisfying relationships, so it’s a win-win situation. Making the time to remember the good things in life, remembering what you have to be grateful for, and what to feel pleased about, is a good way to start the day. Kindness is contagious for the giver too.

Start the day with these positive thoughts, spread them around a bit and the feel good vibe might just last all day!

and thank you for reading this article.

*This special advertising page is not a part of CNN editorial content.