Two simple things we don’t say enough: Why appreciation matters

There are many days we go to work because we know there is a paycheck coming every two weeks. We do our jobs because it gives a sense of purpose to our lives, and it helps us pay the bills. If we are fortunate, like those of us in the credit union industry are, we get to do a job that gives back.  However, on an average day, our staff, our teammates, and our supervisors don’t get to mentally connect what they do to the bigger picture. ALM policies and collections don’t always feel like service, and some weeks it seems there are more member complaints than compliments. Your management team probably has big goals for every aspect of operations. Numbers can quickly drive the daily work at financial institutions, and numbers are critical. But the people we interact with are the purpose behind the numbers, whether that be our colleagues or our members.

If you are reading this, you probably have at least one loan officer who goes above and beyond for every member – the one that the members always ask to speak with. You probably have a few members that brighten the member service rep’s day when they show up for a transaction. Life goes quickly, and most of the time other people don’t hear how much they are appreciated.

The little things we do matter to someone even when that gratitude goes unexpressed. It is better to express appreciation when we can. When you see someone on your team go above and beyond, don’t forget to thank them.  Work can become inspirational when we see how what we do matters in the big picture. Sometimes we don’t see it until someone tells us. It can be simple. Let someone else know their work matters. Here are two basic things to practice saying more often.  

Thank you for your work.

You did a great job.