The Project Book

CHAPTER 56 SAY THANK YOU

‘Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously,’ counselled Ralph Waldo Emerson. ‘And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.’

The last organisation I worked for as a permanent employee in the UK had a lofty vision to snatch back all it had lost in terms of market share and sales and establish itself as a digital giant. The fact that it achieved its goals in the time frames it set was testament to the stewardship provided by the then managing director.

A person of knowledge, integrity and humour, he was determined that the organisation would succeed through the efforts of its employees, not the leadership team. He was encouraging, motivating, flexible in his thinking, empathetic and prepared to take risks, and he delegated appropriately. Yet when I think back to those fantastic days, the thing that stands out for me was the credit and gratitude he gave to others when it would have been easy for him to take all the glory.

In every town hall meeting he held, every interview he gave, every one-on-one interaction with staff, he was quick to thank the thousands of people who were making this transformation a reality. Even in the days when we weren’t making the expected progress he was quick to acknowledge the good intentions and efforts of others, before talking about the collective work that we had to do to get back on track. ...