In late 2018, another leader on my team challenged all managers to show gratitude towards their employees. She charged us all with delivering hand-written thank you notes to members of the team. Our objective was to thank them for their contributions over the past year.
We also included any of our peers with whom we worked closely. I also included my own direct manager.
That November I sent out 20 or so hand-written cards and had no idea what the impact would be.
“No one’s ever written me a thank you card before,” from one of my direct reports.
“Honestly, I’ve had a rough time lately and was about to resign. Thank you for reminding me why I do this,” from a peer.
A Regular Habit
That year was one of the easier ones for sending cards. I managed two smaller teams and had a handful of peers to whom I sent cards. Later years saw my teams grow, meaning more and more cards. Covid forced us all to work from home, so my habit now required a trip to the post office rather than a walk through the building.
On particularly busy year saw me sending 45 cards, several internationally. Working with a distributed team was stellar. Being able to genuinely thank folks for their contributions provided real meaning.
I’ve now exercised this habit every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Years with smaller teams have meant fewer cards. Larger teams has meant a lot more writing. But every time it’s an opportunity to pause, reflect, and feel deep gratitude for the individuals around me.
Leadership versus Management
I’m not currently in a management role. After nearly a decade as a team lead, director, head of engineering, or VP I’ve taken an intentional step back. I’m taking the opportunity to contribute as an individual, writing code on a daily basis to help push our collective roadmap forward.
But even as an IC1Individual Contributor I’m always looking for ways to show leadership within the team. I take ownership of specific tasks or niches within the product. I lend my voice to shaping and shoring up our overall delivery process.
And I take the time to recognize the contributions of my peers and explicitly thank them.
Gratitude is a leadership skill. Like any other skills, it needs to see regular use to stay fresh. And you can very solidly practice leadership within the team even without holding an explicit role in management.
What are you thankful for? How do you practice gratitude?
- 1Individual Contributor
