Two Important Words

“There are two things people want more than sex and money,” says cosmetics entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash in this Harvard Business Review article by former Mattel CEO Robert Eckert: “recognition and praise.” Here are Eckert’s tips:

• Set aside time every week to acknowledge people’s good work.
• Give deserving people handwritten thank-you notes. “The personal touch matters in the digital age,” he says.
• Punish in private, praise in public, and make the praise timely and specific.
• Remember to cc people’s supervisors. As the saying goes, “Don’t tell me. Tell my boss.”
• Foster a culture of gratitude. “It’s a game changer for sustainably better performance,” says Eckert. 

“The Two Most Important Words: Thank You” by Robert Eckert in Harvard Business Review, April 2013 (Vol. 91, #4, p. 38), no e-link available 

From the Marshall Memo #478