Thankful Thursday ~ Gratitude at the Workplace

"A culture of sincere recognition not only helps people feel better about themselves but also where they work. ... Voicing gratefulness is a foundational habit on which a positive culture is built. The resultant fun, deeper relationships and enjoyment of one another is the evidence of this positive culture." ~ Lance Woodbury, in the article "A Job Well Done," in Progressive Farmer.

Kicking off this week's Thankful Thursday post with an excerpt from an article I read in my most recent issue of the Progressive Farmer magazine. The whole article was about the importance of telling those you work with that you appreciate their efforts, and that it is even more important in a family operation, such as farming often is. I could not agree more!

Many of us have held a job somewhere in our past where we have likely felt under appreciated. I had a boss one time for about a two-year period who was constantly extremely negative. I was just stepping into my role as a promotion and felt like all I ever heard was what I was doing wrong, or how our performance as a team was lacking. It seemed like I never heard about anything I was doing right! Even when I thought I was following instructions, this boss would point out some minute step she would have done that I missed, or that I had indeed followed instructions but hadn't exceeded them. I was learning and didn't feel confident that I knew what I was doing anyways, so hearing only about how many mistakes I made was really demoralizing. Further, it made me feel like I couldn't ask for help because she would likely jump on that, too! Have you ever had a supervisor or coworker like that?

Conversely, I have also had coworkers who have been really awesome. People whom I have been sad to leave. These are the people who are constantly building up, providing opportunities, encouraging individual pursuit of goals in others, and who just genuinely seem to care. People like this want to get to know you as a person, what your life is like outside of the workplace. People like this know that when their coworkers feel valued and appreciated, they'll be happier at their jobs and work harder.

On a farm, our coworkers are often our family. Sometimes being around family 100% of the time is more difficult than being around coworkers who aren't related to us. Why? It is so easy to take for granted that our family members know that we love and appreciate them for who they are, let alone the hard work they may be putting in on the farm. We forget to actually verbalize our appreciation and thanks for family members contributions because they already know we love them, right?

I can tell you that it's impossible to tell someone you appreciate them too many times. It can't be done. I make it my goal every day to try to tell my husband thank you for something he has done on our farm or in our house that day. Even simple things that are part of his routine, such as feeding the dog. He still takes the time to do it, and doesn't let it slide. I try to tell him thank you. Sometimes he looks at me funny, like, "Honey, you don't have to thank me for doing my job." But I do it anyway.

Recently, Jeff and I were invited by his parents to attend their annual meeting with their accountant and their lawyer. We were asked to attend because we are continuing the ongoing discussion of transition. What will the future look like as Tom and Carol transition away from farming full time and Jeff and I take over? There are a lot of financial and legal considerations to ensuring the transition process runs smoothly.

We all spent quite a bit of time discussing options and weighing pros and cons, both legal and financial. I'll readily admit that some of the jargon was over my head, but what really struck me was the overall atmosphere of the meeting was one of mutual respect and gratitude for one another. I felt lucky to be in a family where it is possible to sit down at a table as four people involved in a family land transition, with everyone feeling like their voice could be heard. No arguments occurred, and everything really went very smoothly. This is not always the case in family farm transition talks. Even the lawyer and accountant admitted by the time our meeting was over that the whole thing went very smoothly and they had both been in meetings like this that had gone much, much worse.

Building a positive culture on a farm or in the workplace ultimately is the key to success. Invest in your family members, coworkers, and employees, even if their one in the same, because they are your best asset. They're also likely the most irreplaceable. Building people up will ultimately lead to positive transitions, growth, and forward moving and forward thinking companies, businesses, or family farms. Say the wrong thing, and it only takes one wrong thing sometimes, and your people won't forget it. Saying the right thing, such as "Thank You," "I appreciate what you do here," or "You matter to me," is an investment in your people that reaps boundless rewards, whether your coworkers are family or not.

What are you thankful for this week? With whom is it most difficult for you to show your appreciation?