William James, the father of modern day psychology said, “The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” What James was talking about is basic to every person with whom we come into contact. We are not talking about something that would be nice to do for someone, but something they desperately want. A little praise can go a long way.
What that means is if you run a business, your employees and customers want appreciation. If you are an employee or manager, your boss and your customers would love to be appreciated. If you are a parent, son or daughter, your family members would love some appreciation.
What do most people do? When something happens that they don’t like, they criticize the person who they feel is responsible. When something happens to them they do like, they usually don’t say anything. That’s right, no appreciation, just indifference. There is a saying that goes, “Once I did bad and that I hear ever. Twice I did good and that I heard never.”
Back in 1921, Charles Schwab, the first president of US Steel, was paid over one million dollars a year according to http://www.blogger.com/www.measuringworth.com/uscompare. This is worth approximately $192 million dollars or $526,000 per day, in 2010 dollars. The reason he was paid so much was because the owner, Andrew Carnegie, thought he was worth it. What Charles Schwab was able to do, was very effectively deal with people. His belief was that people were more productive when they were able to work in an environment of approval as opposed to criticism.
So, how do you give out a little appreciation? There are a lot of ways to do it. Giving a cheerful and sincere verbal thank you is a great way to begin. Dropping a thank you note in the mail or sending it by email can do wonders for the recipient. Just a nod of the head or a wink of an eye, can be all it takes to help the people you work with or live with be a better person for it. Try it; it works.
Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, coach and author. He helps companies and organization become more profitable by increasing their value and lowering their costs through the professional development of their managers and employees. Please see more of his blogs at csjobsBlog.com and view additional job postings at Nexxt
What that means is if you run a business, your employees and customers want appreciation. If you are an employee or manager, your boss and your customers would love to be appreciated. If you are a parent, son or daughter, your family members would love some appreciation.
What do most people do? When something happens that they don’t like, they criticize the person who they feel is responsible. When something happens to them they do like, they usually don’t say anything. That’s right, no appreciation, just indifference. There is a saying that goes, “Once I did bad and that I hear ever. Twice I did good and that I heard never.”
Back in 1921, Charles Schwab, the first president of US Steel, was paid over one million dollars a year according to http://www.blogger.com/www.measuringworth.com/uscompare. This is worth approximately $192 million dollars or $526,000 per day, in 2010 dollars. The reason he was paid so much was because the owner, Andrew Carnegie, thought he was worth it. What Charles Schwab was able to do, was very effectively deal with people. His belief was that people were more productive when they were able to work in an environment of approval as opposed to criticism.
So, how do you give out a little appreciation? There are a lot of ways to do it. Giving a cheerful and sincere verbal thank you is a great way to begin. Dropping a thank you note in the mail or sending it by email can do wonders for the recipient. Just a nod of the head or a wink of an eye, can be all it takes to help the people you work with or live with be a better person for it. Try it; it works.
Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, coach and author. He helps companies and organization become more profitable by increasing their value and lowering their costs through the professional development of their managers and employees. Please see more of his blogs at csjobsBlog.com and view additional job postings at Nexxt
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