“You’re the first person to say ‘please’ today.”It was after 6PM and the guy behind the meat counter at my local grocery store hadn’t heard the word “please” yet during his nearly completed shift.“That’s a rough streak,” I replied.“I mean, I can’t say ‘no’ if they don’t say ‘please’, but, you know…”I translated his incomplete sentence to mean, “it’s still nice to hear, even if it is my job to provide a service.”We exchanged a few pleasantries and he went out of his way to ensure my order was packed up quickly and neatly.It was a good reminder that great leaders don’t reserve words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ for the times when someone goes way out of their way, they spread them around like they are fertilizing a lawn.Or fertilizing their people.If you want to unlock your people, don’t withhold gratitude, appreciation, and basic human courtesy just because they are on the job.TRY THIS: Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ this week like you’re a 5 year old that just learned a swear word. Go out of your way to observe people and express appreciation. Go out of your way to reinforce courtesy and humanity with every directive.My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results—without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets
