As managers, many of us often forget the power of praise.

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I had the opportunity to compliment an employee yesterday.  She had done some wonderful work several months ago that went unnoticed.  I tripped across it today and made it a point to go out of my way to let her know that she had literally saved me several hours of work.  She seemed pleased that I noticed her efforts and  relatively surprised by the thank you.

I just noticed that she has since spent some additional time continuing her efforts.  It appears as though the two minutes I spent saying thank you not only made her feel appreciated, but also motivated her to continue the great work. While I didn’t say thank you for the purpose of getting more out of her, it is striking that the ROI on the two minutes of time I spent seems to have been realized in less than 24 hours.

This is a good reminder for all of us who are in a position of management.  Everyone thrives for appreciation. Take time to thank an employee today—hopefully out of genuine appreciation, but if not, do it because it’s just good business.