The Thank You Revolution Goes to England

Happy New Year!

I’m writing this to you from my home office, which is rare, due to the two feet of snow and arctic temperatures we have here. I know one person who is getting a thank you care…our HVAC man, Dave!

A big welcome to the crew from Jon Stolpe’s blog that join the Revolution in the past few weeks. Jon challenged his readers to a 90-day Thank You Note Challenge. Pretty cool idea if you ask me…then again, I am biased. To all of you, welcome aboard!

I received an email recently that made me happy.
Not only has the Revolution made it all the way to England (and thirteen other countries according to MailChimp), but one gentleman there, Rick Siderfin, shared his success story with me. Now I am sharing it with you.

Don’t you just love the way the Brits write?

Here’s what Rick wrote. It’s short, simple, and…it had incredible results. The time Rick spent sending this email (probably less than four minutes) could have a lasting effect on the teachers, administrators, and thus, the children. One small act with powerful results!

Good morning Mr. Jones and the Bourton Primary Academy Team!

Just a quick line to say – I would like to write in six-foot high letters all over the outside of your buildings – WHAT A WONDERFUL SCHOOL THIS IS!

I dropped all three of my children off this morning, and they RAN into their classrooms, all as happy as could be and looking forward to their day. This is of course a testament to your wonderful professional teaching staff and also your leadership. Keep up the EXCELLENT work.

Many thanks for all that you do, and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

That’s all Rick wrote. He recognized something great, stopped for just a few minutes, and here’s what he heard in response:

Your email is the perfect tonic for tired staff at this time of year.

and:

Most of the contacts we have involve a mistake on our part. It is great to feel appreciated and when your email was posted in the staffroom, I can tell you, people were touched.

Rick definitely made two new friends.

And did you catch that last one? Most of the times schools, businesses, or organizations hear from parents, it’s bad news or criticism. But when you are a part of the Revolution, you stand out from that crowd.

Today, thank someone for a job well done.

With Gratitude,