During many years leading organizations of various sizes, I learned how much folks enjoy receiving thank you notes—especially those which come from their boss or their boss’s boss.
Being fully retired, it is great fun sending off handwritten notes to thank people or to congratulate them for a special accomplishment. These notes are sent to the home address of the individual. This prevents them from being intercepted by an executive assistant or another staff member. Even the most well-known people do not get many notes at their home addresses.
One of the best ways to find home addresses is through the website anywho.com.
Incoming notes also have an impact. The thank you notes that the Augusta Museum of History received in the aftermath of the recent Jimmie Dyess Symposium were very uplifting. Clearly, folks were pleased that Ed Gillespie, Pat Knox Hudson, and Medal of Honor recipient Mike Rose were honored for their lifetime support of worthy causes. Each received the Symposium’s Distinguished Citizen Award.
Another type of uplifting letter is one of congratulations. Here are two examples. I recently sent a letter to Judy Woodruff to congratulate her on her decades of stellar work as a television journalist. Judy calls Augusta her home. She recently retired from her top job at the PBS NewsHour.
Here is another congratulatory note. Two years ago, I sent a letter of praise to Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger. A few days later, Mr. Raffensperger phoned to ask for an endorsement of his forthcoming book, Integrity Counts. We now stay in regular contact. These interactions led to a friendship. All this resulted from a short, handwritten note of praise.
The following is a note I received from Colin Powell in June 1998. I had resigned from CNN in protest over a terrible TV special entitled Valley of Death. General Powell’s handwritten note was brief. “Perry, you did the right thing, but you always do. Colin”
Here is an example of where thank you notes may pay off. Eric Biddy, the rector of Saint Paul’s Church, has started an interesting approach to thanking folks who rent rooms at the church. After someone rents the River Rooms at Saint Paul’s, the church sends out a note of thanks to each client and, in many cases, to wedding planners. These notes should lead to more bookings for Saint Paul’s. The River Rooms are ideal locations for wedding receptions, conferences, fundraising events, dinners, and luncheons. These rooms, which overlook the River Walk, have become a source of support for the church budget. Each Monday, the Kiwanis Club of Augusta meets there.
In sum, leaders can uplift their colleagues and subordinates with short notes of praise. An example: “Congratulations on your birthday. Your contributions this past year have been grand. I hope you enjoy working for me as much as I enjoy working with you.” A note like this requires less than ten minutes of your time.
Finally, our family has a favorite quote “Don’t postpone joy.” It appears on the rear bumper of both our cars.
Perry Smith’s book, Rules and Tools for Leaders has passed 350,000 copies sold. Annual royalties from this book permit Smith to be generous in his financial support for worthy causes. Jeff Foley is the co-author of the 4th edition.
