100 years ago Dale Carnegie wrote his influential book, How To Win Friends and Influence People. While it wasn't based in rigorous academic research, it collected the lessons that he had learned through his years as a salesman. In it, he expressed that there were three fundamentals in dealing with people. And one of those was expressing genuine appreciation. The keys to doing that he said, were that it had to be sincere. If not, it would come across as phony. It had to be for some meaningful interaction that resulted in a benefit to the individual expressing the appreciation. It had to be personalized in a way that clearly identified the consequences in a positive way. And it had to be timely. It had to be tied quickly to the events that led to that expression of appreciation. The leadership tool for this module is the thank you note. Dale Carnegie suggested that this was a lost art. If you can get in the practice of writing thank you notes, you will separate yourself from most of your contemporaries. As you do so, you should think about handwriting your notes if at all possible. In today's world, it is too easy to write an email or an electronic form of communication. The handwritten note reflects the concern of the individual to take the time to express that appreciation. That reflects very favorably on the person giving the appreciation. Use the person's name in the greeting of the thank you note. People like hearing their own names. And they like to know that it's specifically addressed to them, as opposed to somebody else. Make sure that you say thank you in the letter. And the more times that you can do that, the better. Make sure that you address the consequences of the service provided by the individual as you say thankful. This helps personalize the note in a way that will be easily recognized by the receiver. And lastly, make sure that you close politely and respectfully, and sign the note. In a world of increasing reliance on electronic media for exchanging information and communicating, handwriting personal thank you notes, will demonstrate a personal style and grace that is uncommon. And will separate you from all of your contemporaries.
