Tell Me Something Good: Practicing thanking without tanking
With Thanksgiving around the corner, gratitude is the real reason for the season. Think of gratitude like a condiment bar: it’s not the headliner, but skip it and the whole meal feels off. Use it consistently, and everything runs smoother. Because “thanks” should be more than small talk, here are three ways to put gratitude into action:
Cookie-Cutter Kudos - When you show gratitude at work, be specific about what someone did and the impact it had. Comments like “great job” or “you’re a rockstar” are well-intentioned, but they land about as well as instant coffee after a five-star meal. Instead, call out the specific actions that made a difference. It not only helps people understand what behaviors are valued, but it also motivates them to put it on repeat. Bonus: this clear-cut kudos strategy doesn’t just feel good; it shows up in the numbers through increased order accuracy and faster ticket times. (1)
Public Praise = Workplace Wins – Pre-shift huddles are prime time for employee recognition. (2) Consistently praising individual contributions makes gratitude public, timely, and affirms your organization’s values. Just be sure every shift gets its turn since nothing tanks morale faster than being invisible. There’s a bonus: even people who witness recognition tend to step up and collaborate more. (3) You might even notice fewer call-outs and more volunteers when shifts need covering.
Lateral Can Be Legendary – Gratitude shouldn’t just flow from the top down; it should move sideways too. Providing staff with easy ways to thank one another boosts effort and fosters goodwill across the team. It doesn’t have to be complicated—anything from kudo cards by the time clock to a Facebook-style newsfeed tucked safely behind the firewall will do. (4) Surprisingly, peer gratitude often packs more punch than supervisor praise since bosses are expected to hand out thanks and feedback—it’s part of the job. But when a peer takes the time to notice your effort, it hits different. Like discovering a forgotten candy bar in your desk drawer at 3 p.m. on a Monday kind of different.
Gratitude may be free, but mismanaging it is costly. Click below to reach out, and we can help you bank the value instead of leaving it on the table.
1. Giving praise: 9 ways to recognize and appreciate your team. Indeed. (2025, July 24).
2. Miksen, C. (2011, December 5). How to conduct a staff meeting for a restaurant. Chron.
3. Algoe, S.B., Dwyer, P.C., Younge, A. & Oveis, C. (2019). A new perspective on social functions of emotions: Gratitude and the witnessing effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(1), 40-74.
4. Vranjes, T. (2014, October 23). Employers embrace peer-to-peer recognition. Society for Human Resource Management.
