JANUARY 22

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

—Leo Buscaglia, author and lecturer

THE LITTLE THINGS REALLY DO MATTER MOST

We know a guy who keeps a few short notes from his wife in his wallet. Sweet nothings, really. He tells us that sometimes, when searching for a membership or business card, he’ll stumble upon them.

“Or, on a really bad day at the office, I might purposely dig them out,” he says.

No matter the occasion, reading them always puts him back on top of the world. A little thing, yes. But what an amazing impact!

The same thing goes for recognition at the office. It doesn’t have to be big, flashy, or expensive. A hand-written thank-you note, or a few words of praise in front of an employee’s peers at staff meeting. These small things can mean the world to employees. And the simple memory of that recognition might be just what is needed to push an employee’s performance over the top.

On second thought, this may not be so little after all.