Thank You Letters

I still remember that one time when my colleague and I worked on a difficult project together. After we had completed the most difficult part of the work, he came over to my desk to thank me. Not only did he tell me how glad he was about my contributions, he also handed me an envelope with my name on it.

After he had left, I opened it and found a handwritten letter. The letter contained only a couple of words, but these few words had a strong effect on me. They were words of appreciation. I had rarely felt so much appreciation for my work before. It was the first “thank you” letter I had ever received in my career.

That same day I showed the letter not only to my wife, but also told some of my friends about it. I was so proud of having received my first thank you letter for my work. It created a connection between me and my work that hadn’t existed until then.

After realizing what a powerful tool such a letter is, I started wondering why they are so uncommon. Well, to be honest, I had never written such a letter myself, even though I work with so many great people every day.

This is when I decided to hand out more “thank you” notes myself.

And I think you should do so too. Think about the people whose work you depend on, who influenced you the most and who care for you. Pick one of them, grab a sheet of paper and write a short thank you letter. I’m quite confident that your letter will have a big impact!