the one percent rule of employee appreciation

A big part of showing your team how much you recognize and appreciate them is to spend some company money on them. They helped earn it, after all, so they should also get to celebrate with it. Experiment to find out what are actually meaningful as gifts, and keep those offerings fresh and surprising. Boring old pizza parties need not apply. 

To afford this experimentation, we've established a One Percent Rule (yes, rules are bad, except this one). We allocate 1 percent of our top line for Surprise and Delight moments for our team. I strongly believe every company should do this. If you're a $5 million company, that means you have $50,000 right there to spend on your team. If you make $2 million a year, that's $20,000 for team surprises. Besides, that $20,000 isn't considered profit since it's taken from the top line.

In other words, this isn't about finding money in the budget. It's about having it and giving it, no matter what. By including team care money in the budget, we don't have to ask permission to do these things. We don't have to worry about taking money from other areas. We don't have to fret about whether or not we can do it. It's in the budget, so it's easy. It's formal and official. It eliminates friction around how we spend our money. 

And with this allocated money, we can give amazing gifts of appreciation to our team. Gifts that actually mean something to the person being recognized. 

Jesse Cole

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole. Lioncrest. 2022.

a lot to do just to be hired

Emily Cole believes being Fans First starts with just "being a good human." She highlights how coaching good behavior starts during the hiring process. "This gives us a chance to really work alongside someone and show them how things operate in Bananaland. If they can naturally mirror the way we treat people, that's the first requirement. We can coach the skills part.

For example, we send handwritten thank-you cards to people who interview for full-time positions. If we get a handwritten thank-you card back, it's a great indicator that they listen carefully and respond. It also means they can pick up our culture's language. "When great individuals join our team, they automatically become even more caring, different, enthusiastic, fun, growing, and hungry because that's the Fans First Way, and that's what we focus on daily," Emily emphasizes.

These little tests may sound like a lot to do just to be hired, but people love our interview process. It has three parts. First, applicants do a cover letter so we can see their personality. (Coach Gillum's was legendary, helping him to beat out a coach from MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates.) Second, they write a Fans First essay and explain how they fit our core beliefs. Third, they write a future resume because we're more interested in what they'd like to do in the future than what they've already done.

That last part leads to deeper engagement with our new team member. We ask our staff members what they want to do in the future so we can work toward those goals and better support them. We can have open conversations about their goals. We may hire them to work for the Bananas, but we also want what's best for them as opposed to what's best for us. We acknowledge that it's not all about us, that they are not living just for this company, and that they are still their own separate people, with their own hopes and dreams and creativity. 

Jesse Cole

Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole. Lioncrest. 2022.

things you only hoped for

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you do not have. Remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Epicurus

The Essential Epicurus: Letters, Principal Doctrines, Vatican Sayings, and Fragments. By Epicurus. 1993. Prometheus Books. As found in 2022 Great Quotes from Great Leaders Boxed Calendar: 365 Inspirational Quotes from Leaders Who Shaped the World.

having your oldest friend come just to see if you're okay

When I started working at Wal-Mart in West Texas, we would anticipate a store visit by the chairman with the same sense you get when you're going to meet a great athlete, or a movie star, or a head of state. But once he comes in the store, that feeling of awe is overcome by a sort of kinship. He is a master at erasing that 'larger-than-life' feeling that people have for him. How many heads of state always start the conversation by wanting to know what you think? What's on your mind?

After a visit, everyone in the store has no doubt that he genuinely appreciates our contributions, no matter how insignificant. Every associate feels like he or she does make a difference. It's almost like having your oldest friend come just to see if you're okay. He never lets us down.

Andy Sims, Manager, Wal-Mart No. 1, Rogers, Arkansas

Sam Walton, Made in America by Sam Walton & John Huey. Bantam Books. 1992. p. 140, 141

the panacea for insatiable yearnings

What the foremost researchers in the field of gratitude, Robert Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Michael McCullough of the University of Miami, have established is that “a life oriented around gratefulness is the panacea for insatiable yearnings and life’s ills. . . . At the cornerstone of gratitude is the notion of undeserved merit. The grateful person recognizes that he or she did nothing to deserve the gift or benefit; it was freely bestowed.” Gratitude works its magic by serving as an antidote to negative emotions. It’s like white blood cells for the soul, protecting us from cynicism, entitlement, anger, and resignation. It’s summed up in a quote I love (attributed to Imam AlShafi’i, an eighth- century Muslim jurist): “My heart is at ease knowing that what was meant for me will never miss me, and that what misses me was never meant for me.”

Arianna Huffington

"Why We Need Wisdom More Than Ever," by Arianna Huffington. Thrive Global. November 30, 2016. Excerpt from Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder pp. 116–130. As found in 2022 Great Quotes From Great Leaders Boxed Calendar: 365 Inspirational Quotes From Leaders Who Shaped the World.

who we truly are

What I learned through it is that we are not on this earth to accumulate victories, or trophies, or experiences, or even to avoid failures, but to be whittled and sandpapered down until what’s left is who we truly are. This is the only way we can find purpose in pain and loss, and the only way to keep returning to gratitude and grace.

Arianna Huffington

"Why We Need Wisdom More Than Ever," by Arianna Huffington. Thrive Global. November 30, 2016. Excerpt from Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder pp. 116–130. As found in 2022 Great Quotes From Great Leaders Boxed Calendar: 365 Inspirational Quotes From Leaders Who Shaped the World.

gratitude makes us joyful

We tend to misunderstand the link between joy and gratefulness. We notice that joyful people are grateful and suppose they are grateful for their joy. But the reverse is true: Their joy springs from gratefulness.

If one has all the good luck in the world, but takes it for granted, it will not give one joy... it is not joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us joyful.

David Steindl-Rast

Legacy of the Heart: The Spiritual Advantage of a Painful Childhood by Wayne Muller. Touchtone. 2002. p.129

WD > WS

Monty Williams is a man of many sayings. Some of them, like, “Well done is better than well said,” have made it onto hats. Others sneak into his answers in press conferences (“Reps remove doubt”), and still more have been relayed to Suns players so often over the past two seasons that they show up in those players’ own responses (“Preparation meets opportunity”). But there are also some staples of Williams’s lexicon that don’t count as sayings, yet may be even more indicative of how he approaches both basketball and life.

If you watched Williams’s media appearances throughout the playoffs, you found that he has no problem saying “I don’t know” in response to a difficult question; he said it 17 times during the Finals alone. You also saw that when Williams is asked something that requires perspective, he will make sure to mention how “grateful” he is or how much “gratitude” he has to be in this position—he used those words in answers 18 times during the series, including when talking about how he still gets excited when he gets fresh gear.

Six of those 18 mentions came on Tuesday night, mere minutes after Williams’s Suns had lost Game 6 of the Finals—and an NBA championship—to the Milwaukee Bucks.

“It’s a blur for me right now,” Williams said, talking about the game’s fourth quarter. “I’m just thankful that God allowed me to be in this position to be the head coach in the Finals. It hurts badly, but I’m also grateful that we had this chance to play for a championship. I’m just grateful for that part.”

Paolo Uggetti

"The Suns’ Future Is Bright, As Long As They Have Monty Williams" The Ringer. July 22, 2021

the leader must become a servant

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant.

Max De Pree

Leadership Is an Art by Max De Pree. Crown Publisher. June 22, 2011. As quoted in "The Neuroscience of Trust: Management behaviors that foster employee engagement," by Paul J. Zak. Harvard Business Review. January-February 2017. 

done you a kindness

He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged. 

Benjamin Franklin 

Autobiography and Other Writings by Benjamin Franklin, edited by Russel B. Nye. 1949. p.94

a mark of a noble soul

Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable.

Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Live in Thanksgiving Daily," Ensign, Sept. 2001, 8

a call to solitude

Jesus modeled for us the spiritual discipline of solitude as an essential habit for spiritual renewal...

Here are some examples when Jesus engaged in external solitude as a means of fortifying His inner solitude of peace and purpose:

• When preparing for the tests of leadership and public ministry, He spent forty days alone in the desert. (Matthew 4:1-11)
• Before He chose the Twelve, He spent the entire night alone in the desert hills. (Luke 6:12) 
• When He had to choose between continuing to heal the sick or move to another place to teach the Good News. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35).
• When He received the news of John the Baptist’s death, He withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. (Matthew 14:13)
• After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, Jesus “went up on a mountainside by himself...” (Matthew 14:23)

By “solitude” we mean being out of human contact, being alone, and being so for lengthy periods of time. To get out of human contact is not something that can be done for a short while, for the contact lingers long after it is, in one sense, over.

Silence is a natural part of solitude and is its essential complement. Most noise is human contact. Silence means to escape from sounds and noises, other than the gentle ones of nature. But it also means not talking, and the effects of not talking on our soul are different from those of simple quietness...

Solitude and silence give us some space to reform our innermost attitudes toward people and events. They take the world off our shoulders for a time and interrupt our habit of constantly managing things, of being in control or thinking we are.

One of the greatest of spiritual attainments is the capacity to do nothing. Thus, the Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal insightfully remarks, “I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they are unable to stay quietly in their room.”

“The cure for too much to do is solitude and silence, for there you find that you are safely more than what you do. And a cure of loneliness is solitude and silence, for there you discover in how many ways you are never alone.”

Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges

The Servant Leader: Transforming You Heart, Head, Hands & Habits. 2003. J.Countryman.

heartfelt efforts

In his decade as CEO of Campbell Soup Company, Doug Conant developed rituals for physically and psychologically connecting with people at all levels in the company, which he called touchpoints.

Every morning, Conant allocated a good chunk of his time to walking around the plant, greeting people, and getting to know them. He would memorize their names and the names of their family members. He would take a genuine interest in their lives. He also handwrote letters of gratitude to recognize extraordinary efforts. And when people in the company were having tough times, he wrote them personal messages of encouragement. During his tenure, he sent more than 30,000 such letters.

To Conant, these behaviors were not just strategies to enhance productivity; they were heartfelt efforts to support his people.

Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter

"If You Aspire to Be a Great Leader, Be Present" Harvard Business Review. December 13, 2017.

gratitude - a daily practice

Turning gratitude into a daily practice isn’t on the radar of enough of today’s business leaders, despite the immeasurable professional and personal benefits. But, according to Psychology Today, gratitude opens the door to more relationships. I’ve discovered that relationship-building is a big factor in success, and so make a habit of helping others, as a way to network and forge more personal connections.

Gratitude also improves your overall psychological mindset. This can be crucial for entrepreneurs and business leaders who all too often suffer from depression and chronic stress in silence. Entrepreneurship and growing a business is not for the faint of heart, and we could all use more gratitude to help us remember why we were optimistic enough to jump into this arena in the first place.

Then, what I personally love about gratitude is how it anchors you to the present to fully embrace and benefit from each experience. It's like that new business inspiration that popped into your head when you were paying close attention to a speaker at a conference. It helps you gain a foothold on the work-life balance we all need in our lives.

Sujan Patel

"4 Leadership Lessons You Won't Learn in Business School" Entrepreneur. 7/17/2017

many hands and hearts and minds

It seems to me shallow and arrogant for any person in these times to claim they are completely self-made, that they owe all their success to their own unaided efforts. Many hands and hearts and minds generally contribute to anyone’s notable achievements.

Walt Disney

As quoted in "The One Attribute All ‘Servant Leaders’ Have In Common" by Dan Veitkus. CEO.com. 8/28/2014

respect behaviors

10 things that make people feel disrespected:

1. Looking at computer screens and cell phones during conversations.
2. Outburst of anger.
3. Cursing and slang.
4. One sided conversations. Not listening.
5. Wasting people’s time.
6. Asking people to re-do work, even though clear instructions weren’t given up front.
7. Not following up.
8. Not showing up for meetings.
9. Aggressiveness.
10. Lies.

7 ways to show respect:

1. Speak to aspirations.
2. Talk more about strengths than weaknesses.
3. Ask, “What do you think?”
4. Take time to ponder suggestions.
5. Focus on issues not personalities during disagreements.
6. Say please and thank you.
7. Feeling understood.

Dan Rockwell

"The Leadership Behavior Most Employees Want." Leadership Freak. 8/11/2015

gratitude v. personalized feedback

"Sara, I am proud of you for getting this report done ahead of time. It makes my life so much easier. I hope you can continue to be this timely with deadlines in the future...."

"Sara, I'd like to express my gratitude for the effort you made on these reports. Getting them in earlier than the deadline gave me the ability to focus on something else that was creating a lot of stress. Thank you."

What is the difference between expressing gratitude and giving personalized feedback? Intention. Your expression of gratitude is not intended to change or reinforce people's future behavior. Your statement of thanks is not an attempt to develop their competence or sense of responsibility--nor are you looking for a guarantee they will keep up their efforts in the future. When you express gratitude, it is based on your need, not theirs.

Your gratitude, delivered candidly and authentically, without ulterior motives or expectations of future behavior, gives people the choice to continue acting wisely, deepens their sense of contribution and connection, and validates their competence.

Susan Fowler

"Is My Feedback Motivating? Part 1." Huffington Post. 8/12/2015

demonstrated the resilience

Before Jimmy Carter sat in front of the microphones Thursday morning at the Carter Center in Atlanta to discuss his cancer diagnosis, some speculated the former president might use the moment to raise public awareness about the disease.

As a man who has a family history of cancer and has devoted his post-presidency to championing a vast array of complex causes, it made sense. The health-related news conference, itself an unusual move for a former president, could be the start of yet another area of advocacy for Carter.

But while such efforts may be yet to come, Carter's news conference did not launch research initiatives or public platforms for cancer advocacy. When asked what message he had for others, there was no public-health speech for the masses.

Instead, there was simply Carter: gracious, smiling, honest, at ease. The 90-year-old former president spoke openly about his diagnosis—doctors have found four small spots of melanoma on his brain—and how he was feeling. He shared details about the medications his doctors were using and said his first radiation treatment would be Thursday afternoon.

He also shared the story of telling Rosalynn, how he plans to still teach Sunday School this weekend in Plains, Ga., and what he felt when he heard the news. "I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t go into an attitude of despair or anger," he told reporters. "I was just completely at ease. ... I've been very grateful for that part of that. I'm ready for anything."

In doing so, Carter gave us yet another model for responding to a setback. A man who will be best remembered not for his presidency but for what he accomplished after he lost it, Carter has again demonstrated the resilience that has been a driving factor in his life and career.

Jena McGregor

"Even in cancer diagnosis, Jimmy Carter shows leadership." The Washington Post. 8/20/2015

cascade gratitude

Gratitude opens leaders’ minds and spirits to realize that they are not omnipotent, but rather stewards of the resources, people, and even the brand of the organizations they represent. Those who work for and with such leaders will find it much easier to cascade gratitude to their own customers, partners, and colleagues if they stand in the shadow of a true servant leader.

And there’s a payoff – this gratitude will be returned in the form of future sales commitments, increased loyalty, and improved engagement.

Dan Veitkus

"The One Attribute All ‘Servant Leaders’ Have In Common." CEO.com. 8/28/2014