Team Work Makes The Dream Work
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we’re not just about that one specific person that comes to mind and makes your brain go Gaga, but showing appreciation to all those who impact your daily life. Some of our most important and underrated relationships are those with our colleagues. So, let’s show appreciation to the Dream Teams that deserve it!
Small ways to show appreciation to your team:
Highlight them:
Mention their contributions casually but specifically. It feels so great when a colleague is singing your praises during a team brief or regroup for a job well done on a project. While this way of showing appreciation necessarily flashy, it definitely leaves a lasting impression and sense of treasured community!
Did a team member jump on board to help you proof and edit a big proposal? Mention it in the next meeting like so: “Fortunately for Sandy, we’re right on track in terms of the deadline after she helped me edited and make sense of the proposal”.
Be Blunt:
Sending thanks on email is great, but there is something extraordinarily deliberate about taking time out of your work day to approach that Super Hero colleague to thank them. Take it up a notch on the deliberateness and tell them exactly what you are thanking them for and why you appreciate it.
“Thank you, Randy. You offering to work overtime in order to have this proposal put together and sent out to the client before the deadline was great! It was so appreciate because it meant I managed to leave on time. So, I got to catch the last 20 mins of my kid’s soccer game and I wouldn’t have been able to do that without your help.”
Sweet Treats:
Alright, they don’t have to be sweet… but nothing says “you guys rock” like bringing in a box of mixed pastries on Friday for your team mates. Was there someone that really stood out? Make sure to include their favourite pastry and plate it separately for them. Doughnut forget about the Hundreds and Thousands sprinkles!
A Birdy Told Me:
One of the best compliments one can receive is a colleague noting your outstanding work to the team leader. Especially when it could have easily gone unnoticed. Send your boss or team leader a mail about the great standard of work of your colleague and be sure to copy super star in! Thank you’s go a long way but knowing that your boss is also in-the-know makes it that much more meaningful.
