There is more to a thank you than just the words.

I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to write about this week but inspiration struck at the mailbox. We received a thank you from a wedding we attended back in June. Personally, I think thank you’s should go out within a month, but I do understand in the case of weddings it can be longer. Regardless, the lack of sincerity didn’t end with the timing of the message. The card was a photograph of the couple with a preprinted “thank you for sharing our day” message. No handwritten note, not even our names were written on the card/picture. For that matter even the envelope had computer generated labels. It felt so insincere and impersonal that it was more insulting than not receiving a thank you at all.

Now, you may wonder why I am mentioning this in a business blog. I thought it is very important to share because even in business a thank you needs to be more than just words. People can sense when gratitude isn’t sincere. Think about thanks you have received. It feels very different when it is warm and sincere then when it is a hastily muttered acknowledgement. One example that quickly comes to mind was a project I worked on. At the request of my manager at the time, I spent a month compiling and analyzing a segment of data. When I presented my work, the neatly organized binder of information was tossed it on a pile of paperwork. The manager barely said thanks and it was never touched again. Wow – can you feel the warmth there?! Not surprising she was one of the worst managers I have ever encountered.

It won’t hurt to add a little warmth. It won’t hurt to acknowledge someone’s efforts. It will hurt when you clearly aren’t sincere. It would have been better for that manager to have said, “Thank you so much. I know how much effort you have been putting into this and I will review it with you as soon as I possibly can.” Then maybe I would be referring to her as one of the best managers I ever worked for, instead of the worst.

Also, going back to the timing issue, don’t withhold thanks. Be prompt in your acknowledgements. Delays will only add insincerity to your message. If someone makes an effort for you, be quick in your effort to thank them.

Finally, remember that sometimes what happens in your personal life carries to your professional career. If either the bride or groom ever approached me for a job or referral I would really have to think about it. They were insincere and that doesn’t make for good business acumen.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Which came first?

No, this is not a blog about poultry, though it is the inspiration for my thoughts. I recently saw a headline about researchers who “discovered” the answer to which came first, the chicken or the egg. Of course their findings are still conjecture as they weren’t actually there, but it brought to my mind some business struggles. As it pertains to business growth, the question of what should come first can be as equally as confusing as the age-old life question. While I won’t profess to know the actual answer, I do hope to offer insight as to how to find the best path for your business.

Case 1: “If you build it, will they come?” What if you have a business that serves a large geographic area and the question is: Should you add offices for more local presence or do you establish more customers in those areas first? For a business I know, they went for it and built the offices. Unfortunately that has left them with serious financial issues. The expansion was done without understanding truly why it was being done and what ramifications would come of it. It has mired them in problems and is now a major detriment. In this situation what was missing was a strategic plan. A homeowner doesn’t build an addition without a myriad of plans, why should a business expansion be any different! By going down the path of building a strategic plan the owners could have found balance between the expansion and the revenue needed to support it.

Case 2: “Who are you really trying to serve?” I have actually seen this in many different forms. Here is just one example. For a non-profit in challenging economic times the question is: Should you have diverse programs to increase your standing in the community or do you focus your efforts towards targeted areas and expand from there. At the non-profit I worked for the rule was, the more programs the better. Some of the programs had shared missions while others were completely different. There was very little cohesion and no planning. If the executive director had a new program idea it was implemented immediately, without research or planning. Many of these new services were duplicated with other community programs. The staff was frustrated because they weren’t being supported properly and they had to watch as precious resources were wasted on new initiatives – initiatives that weren’t needed and therefore not utilized! The balance was missing. A simple SWOT analysis and employee feedback would have made expansion decisions much more successful.

Answering the question of what should come first can pertain to just about anything and the questions will always continue:

Should I hire more employees now or wait for more sales?

Can we increase revenue by acquiring new customers or should we first try to get more value from our current base?

Is it time to leave my company or should I stick it out?

There are no definitive answers. Spending the time to understand the different aspects of the potential answers will lead you to the most informed decision possible. When you reach that point, you start to answer the question of how to build your business acumen.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”