Flowers, Champagne, Chocolate

It is the boss’ wedding anniversary today at Hunter Moore.  It is not one of those big ones where everyone knows the thing you have to buy and, as such the boss & partner are both at their normal working day.  However, when we were having lunch it became clear that the day had not gone un-noticed.  A text message came through thanking the boss for the card (apparently left by the bedside in the dark of an early morning departure) and then an hour later a longer text appreciating the flowers left down stairs in the kitchen.

Clearly there was a lot of banter about what an old romantic the boss is and how much cheaper the flowers would have been from the local supermarket garage.  The more adventurous even probed about expectations in return.  The point was, as the day went on it became obvious that there was no expectation, no big agenda, no keeping score.  This was a small but genuine act of thankfulness for good times.

To be fair most of us knew this, we have worked here a while and that is how things are around here.  Not all the time of course, we are not saints but enough to make it the cultural norm.

We say thank you when people do things for us, we buy chocolates for the office – sometimes “Just because” and we even have the occasional meal out together when things have gone particularly well.

We understand those things don’t float everyones boat and you will have to find out what would make the difference to your team. Appreciation for work do well, for going the extra mile, for doing the small things is a much under-valued attribute.  The important thing is it has to be genuine.  There is something in the way we are made that makes most of us very good at spotting a faker – so when you appreciate someone, do it because you do, not because you think you should.

Here at Hunmoco we are sending the boss home early tonight not because we don’t like having them around but, well “Just because”.

It is not just us – click here for some other research