Heartfelt Thanks

Valentines Day is usually reserved for showering love on your special someone. But if youre in a leadership position at a company thats been hit hard by the recession and its aftereffects, you probably already know that your employees could use some love too. In the battle for survival, your company may have developed a perpetually stressful atmosphere in which your employees have been asked to do more with lessoften with little thanks. Of course, you dont want to shortchange them (and in fact, the thought of doing so has probably worried you just as much as the economy!); you simply still cant afford to reward them through the more traditional means of raises and bonuses.

Fortunately, says Todd Patkin, you dont need a single dime to make your people happy at work or to show them just how much you care about them and appreciate their efforts. And what better time than Valentines Day to start showing them the love again.

People will never admit it, but money is not the thing they desire most from their work. Instead, showing appreciation, respect, and, yes, even love are the three most important ways to make your people feel great about their work, points out Patkin, author of Finding Happiness: One Mans Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety andFinallyLet the Sunshine In (StepWise Press, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-9658261-9-8, $19.95). And happy, engaged employees are the single best way to impact your companys bottom line.

Patkin isnt just a talking headhe speaks from experience. For nearly two decades, he was instrumental in leading his familys auto parts business, Autopart International, to new heights until it was finally bought by Advance Auto Parts in 2006 for more money than he ever dreamed possible. During that time, Patkin made it his number-one priority to always put his people and their happiness first.

As a leader, I quickly found that if my team was content and their work environment was a positive one, they would be more engaged and motivated, and they would truly care about our organizations future, he elaborates. Plus, it was even more rewarding for me to see that my employees were happyand often even ecstaticthan it was for me that we were making money.

Patkin adds, Its more important now than ever before to show your employees love and appreciation, because you probably havent been able to give them big raises and bonuses since the recession hit. Let your employees know that this Valentines Day will be all about making sure they know how much you appreciate all of their hard work.

Furthermore, Patkin adds that if your employees are perpetually stressed out, theyll be less motivated and more disengaged. And when theyre unhappy, theyll do only what they must to avoid chastisement…and youll lose money in the long term. Also, as the economy turns around, theyll be more likely to start looking for a new job elsewhere.

If there is one thing I would like to tell all leaders at all levels and in all industries, its that you have nothing to lose and everything to gainincluding an improved bottom lineby making your organization as happy a place to work as possible.

Read on for five of Patkins show-the-love strategies that you can use as soon as today to say thanks for a job well done! to any employee, any time…without spending a cent:

Send love notes. Writing and sending a thank-you note is standard practice when you receive a gift. And what is great, thorough work other than a gift from your people to you? When you notice that an individual has done an excellent job or has achieved an important goal, send a specific handwritten (not typed!) note conveying your most sincere appreciation and admiration. This will take only one sheet of paper and five minutes out of your day…but itll make a lasting impression on your employee.

When youre a leader, youre busy and often overwhelmed, Patkin acknowledges. Its understandable that you might overlook saying the words thank you, much less writing them. Remember, though, that positive reinforcement and sincere gratitude will increase the respect your team has for you and will improve their opinion of your entire organization. Also, it will encourage them to likewise say thank you more often to their own subordinates within your company. Think of writing what I call love notes as a way to invest in your companys atmosphere and future!

Distribute inspiration. Our society tends to think of work as a place of drudgery, obligation, and boredom, as exemplified in the now-iconic movie Office Space. People certainly dont think of receiving inspiration and rejuvenation between nine and five. According to Patkin, though, buoying your teams spirits should be one of your daily goals. If you help them to see the world as a sunnier place and to improve their attitudes and ways of thinking about their entire lives, their professional and personal productivity will increase too.

If you run across a quotation or story that inspires you, dont keep it to yourselfpass it along to an employee, and perhaps, if appropriate, also mention that the quote or anecdote reminded you of him and his great attitude, suggests Patkin. Alternatively, you might consider sending out a quote or lesson of the day. Yes, the idea might sound hokey at first, but I firmly believe that most people vastly underestimate the power of feeding their minds with inspirational and educational material.

Tell success stories. Even if they brush off praise or downplay their achievements, everybody loves to be recognized and complimented. When someone in your organization has done something great, tell her that you noticed her outstanding work, and tell the rest of the team, too! Whether correctly or incorrectly, many employees feel that their leaders take them for granted and only point out their mistakes, so make it your daily mission to prove that perception wrong.

When I was at Autopart International and I saw that one of my people did something noteworthy, I made sure that everyone else knew about it by sending the story about her accomplishment around in an email to the entire chain, Patkin recalls. I could literally see the glow on the highlighted employees face for weeks, and I also noticed that many of the other team members now worked even harder too in order to earn a write-up themselves. Remember to always praise in public as loudly as possible, and conversely, criticize only in private!

Identify stars. According to Patkin, identifying stars is taking the concept behind telling success stories to the next level. Yes, recognize achievements whenever you see them, but also make celebrating your stars a regular event. Sure, some team members will roll their eyes at Employee of the Week/Month programs, but you can rest assured that no one is going to turn down this honor.

Instead of singling out just one person, as a special treat for Valentines Day, you might even consider recognizing every member of your staff, Patkin suggests. For example, I always wrote about several store managers in our Managers of the Month newsletter. Later, I included assistant managers, store supervisors, store salespeople, and our drivers in this letter of champions as well. My profiles for each star would often be a full page in length, lauding both their professional achievements and wonderful personal qualities. The newsletters themselves were often thirty pages in length when finished. But I know many within the team loved to read these personalized recognitions each month, and they motivated lots of the employees to work even harder to earn a spot on the pages themselves.

Consider putting out a special edition of your company newsletter for Valentines Day or creating a newsletter for the occasion if you dont already have one. If you have a small number of employees, include a write-up about each employee, what you love about them, and how proud you are of their accomplishments. If you have too many employees to thank them individually, include a heartfelt thank-you letter that points out what goals the company met because of all of your employees hard work.

Make it a family affair. Whenever possible, engage your employees families when praising them. Having a leader validate all the hours each team member spends at work will be remembered far longer than a bonus (really!). Plus, when spouses and kids know what Mom or Dad does at work and are on board with it, your employees performance will be buoyed by support from the ones he or she loves the most.

For example, if an employee did something really tremendous, I would call his home, generally trying to get the answering machine and not a person, Patkin shares. Then Id leave a voicemail like this one:

Hi, (name of spouse and kids), this is Todd Patkin from Autopart International where your husband and dad works. I just want to tell you that your husband and dad is the most incredible, wonderful, amazing person in the whole world. He just broke our Nashua, New Hampshire, stores all-time sales record. Guys, that is incredible!! So, please, kids, do me a favor. When your dad comes home tonight, everyone run up and give him a huge hug and tell him how proud you are of him and how great he is. And, (name of spouse), I hope you too will give him a big hug and a wonderful kiss to make sure he knows how much you love him and how much he is appreciated for all hes doing for our company. Thanks, guys.

And in fact, years later, many employees whose families received these phone calls told me that although they didnt remember how much their bonus checks were for that year, that extra-special homecoming was still clearly etched in their memories.

Trust me, showing people love, appreciation, and respect trump money just about every time when it comes to building long-term motivation and boosting employee morale and loyalty, concludes Patkin. If you havent been showing your employees appreciation, let Valentines Day be the time for you to get back on track, and if you have been, think of creative ways to step up your efforts. When you take the time to make your employees feel valued, theyll know that you care about them on a more personal level, and theyll be much happier at work. And in the end, when youve achieved a really positive atmosphere at work and the improved bottom line that will surely come from it, youll feel amazing too!

Todd Patkin grew up in Needham, Massachusetts. After graduating from Tufts University, he joined the family business and spent the next eighteen years helping to grow it to new heights. After it was purchased by Advance Auto Parts in 2005, he was free to focus on his main passions: philanthropy and giving back to the community, spending time with family and friends, and helping more people learn how to be happy. Todd lives with his wonderful wife, Yadira, their amazing son, Josh, and two great dogs, Tucker and Hunter. Patkin is author of Finding Happiness: One Mans Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety andFinallyLet the Sunshine In www.findinghappinessthebook.com.