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How often do you complete a goal or a project with no help from others? My guess is that rarely if ever do we reach our goals on our own. We receive help and cooperation, ideas and support from others, and that makes it possible for us to succeed.
One of the basic things to remember is to share credit for accomplishments and ideas.
Have you ever seen someone who won a very coveted award, accomplished something truly outstanding, and as they were recognized, the first thing they said was, “I could never have done this without. . .” and then they started to name others who had contributed to their success. Well, you may never have an Academy Award moment, but there are so many other small moments in your day where you can share the credit and acknowledge the contribution that someone else has made.
Do you ever thank your boss for helping you? Have you taken time to send an email to a coworker who went out of his or her way to give you some advice or share some ideas with you? I think we often just overlook these little things; we get too busy or we simply don’t realize how powerful “thank you” is. Recently I received a text from a friend saying simply, ”Mary I wouldn’t be here without you and all those years of helping to mentor me over the radio!” And she expressed her love. Those kinds of extra-mile expressions will go a long way to improving relationships.
One of the things we try to do well here at The Christian Working Woman is to say “thanks.” So many people have partnered with us through the many years of this ministry, and I am very aware that we could never have made it without them—without you! I know that when people support us, they do it out of love for the Lord, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to know that we are grateful, and we appreciate their support.
Proverbs 25:11 (ESV) says that “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” A fitly spoken word is “thanks” and it is beautiful. Believe me when I tell you—“thank you” is powerful and you can’t overdo it. Are you intentional about recognizing and thanking those you work with and for? It will go a long way toward improving your work relationships. Give it a try.