Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People by Rich DeVos

Author:Rich DeVos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Self-Help / Motivational & Inspirational, Self-Help / Personal Growth / General
Publisher: Center Street
Published: 2008-11-02T16:00:00+00:00

6

“Thank you”

Remember when you were little and an adult gave you a piece of candy or small gift? One of your parents likely prompted you with, “What do you say?” They were, of course, trying to get you to say “Thank you.” If you’re a parent, you hope that your child will remember his manners by saying “Thank you” when someone gives him a present and not embarrass you by simply grabbing it without a word and running away.

Responsible parents are adamant about teaching their children to say “Thank you.” Having “Thank you” in our vocabulary and top of mind is simply an expectation for all of us who function successfully in our civilized society. Store clerks are expected to thank us for our business. When a server brings our meal, we typically say “Thank you.” “Thank you” is the appropriate and expected response when someone pays us a compliment about our new suit or doing a great job. We automatically should say thanks when someone makes us dinner, gives us a ride, or presents us with a gift.

“Thank you” is an acknowledgment of the other person’s generosity. It recognizes the other person’s kindness and the effort that person made to think of us. “Thank you” says we appreciate a job well done and the time someone devoted to develop his or her talents to perform for us or provide a skilled service.

When we completed our world headquarters building at Amway, we held a dedication with then–U.S. Representative Gerald Ford, the township supervisor, local business leaders, and other dignitaries. Even before this high-level dedication, however, we held another special event.

We hosted an open house for all the skilled laborers who built it. All these dedicated and talented workers—the men and women who drew the blueprints, erected the steel girders, placed the brick, installed the windows, built the roof, laid the carpet, and hung the drapes—enjoyed the party we provided and a chance to see the results of their hard work. Rarely at that time did construction workers get the opportunity to see their completed product. So we invited them to see the finished building and took the opportunity to shake their hands, have a little conversation and, most important, say “Thank you.” And they appreciated it. They were a bit surprised at the invitation to such an event, which we hosted simply to say “Thank you.”

The rarity of this type of event speaks volumes about our tendency sometimes to overlook thanking people. Why is it that thanking certain people never crosses our minds? When problems arise in a construction project, we’re quick to complain. But when a project goes smoothly and without a hitch, we tend to take the workers and their expertise for granted. In 2007 we built the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids on time, without injury, without lost production time, and without a major hitch. All levels of skilled labor and contractors did their jobs well and fulfilled their obligations. Workers arrived on time each

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