Thank You!
Everyone in this world loves feeling valued and appreciated. The simple act of saying thank you can make someone's day so much better by simply recognizing the effort that they put into doing something.
Everyone Needs It
No matter who you are, what colour profile you are or what culture you come from. Saying thank you is necessary in showing a person that you acknowledge what they have done, especially if someone has given you something of great value, or has put in a lot of effort for you.
I know in the past I have often not even considered saying thank you for somethings that I should have. For example, when your boss gives you an increase and a bonus, you should go to them and thank them, it will go a long way. In addition, if someone in your team has put in a lot of work, thank them for it and this lets them know that the efforts are not going unnoticed. Simple acts like these will go a long way!
Recognition Systems
In my current company we have an internal application that allows people within the company to nominate other people for any great work/effort that they have done. This is another way of saying thank you and recognizing people.
As a leader of a team, you should be giving the most thanks and should always be on the lookout for these things. I find that you need to make this a habit, as after a while, you tend do forget to do this. So if that happens, set a reminder in your calendar to think of things that people in your team have done and thank them next time you chat to them.
No matter how you thank people, the act of doing it will actually cement in the good behaviours that they showed. More than likely, they will continue to exhibit the behaviours which will lead to a better team overall.
Until next time...keep learning!