Thank You Revolution: The Rest of the Story

Do you remember Mary?

If you have read my book, The Power of Gratitude: Stores from the Frontline of the Thank You Revolution, you should read her story first. (It’s free for you and if you have not read it yet, you can do so here).

Here is how her story ended:

The Thank You Revolution was spreading. The company culture was changing. Morale was skyrocketing.

Now if this was a Hollywood story, what would come next is the sudden resurgence of company profits, the returning of all of those who were laid off, and the promotion of Mary to CEO.But this isn’t a Hollywood story. In fact, five weeks after Mary’s first note, seven more people were laid off, thankfully none from her department. She only wrote her first note nine weeks before she shared her story with me. We have yet to see what will result financially from the Thank You Revolution taking hold of her company.It only took nine weeks for a culture of gratitude to institute itself in her company. In the past four weeks, the average person, she estimated, has written ten thank you notes each. And it shows no signs of stopping.

Managers reported more openness with their team members. Customers showed increased satisfaction and one CEO even responded to a thank you note with a referral to a CEO friend of his who was on the board of a large non-profit that is likely to become the company’s largest client.Team members were arguing less. Married people even reported better relationships with their spouses. The Thank You Revolution was not confined to work.

But there is more to her story that I want to share.

Here is that update in her own words:

“We did indeed get and the relationship has been outstanding from the start. I recently had dinner with and the Executive Director of .Things are going great at the office and we recently began hiring more people in shipping and customer service. You do know what means, right? Yes, sales are up. Not just with . It’s across the board, Matt. For the first time in my career, I feel respected as a leader. My relationships with the other leaders are better than ever and your little revolution is changing lives here.

I wanted to share one story with you from our weekly executive meeting. Henry was sharing his experience with a new client…their VP of National Accounts reads your blog. Henry wrote him a thank you note after a conversation about some non-work stuff. The VP sends him a link to your site and tells him his note reminded him of your revolution. Talk about a small world. His company has about 40 people and apparently it’s a big deal there too. You’re huge down here. Don’t let it get to your head though.

Thanks again for inspiring me to start this and keep at it.”

Now, go make it a great day filled with gratitude and joy!

With Gratitude,