How grateful are you? Not just for the big things, like not being hit by the guy who ran the light, but for the everyday stuff?

Who do you take time to be grateful to? Your spouse/partner, kids, colleagues, boss?

How do you show your gratitude? A quick verbal thanks, email, text, hand-written note?

As CEO of Campbell Soup, Doug Conant sent more than 30,000 handwritten thank-you notes to staffers and clients driving the creation of a “culture of gratitude across the company.

…when Conant took the reins at Campbell Soup, the stock price was falling and it was the worst performer of all the major food companies in the world, according to Fast Company. By 2009, the company was ahead of the S&P Food Group and the S&P 500….

Journalist Janice Kaplan spent a year documenting the effects of gratitude and shares the info in “The Gratitude Diaries” and uses Conant’s behavior as an example of a leader who harnessed the power of recognition to boost his team’s performance.

Such a little thing for such a giant effect. People do notice.

When Kaplan visited the Business Insider office in August, she said that a survey she conducted with the John Templeton Foundation found that about 90% of people said a grateful boss was more likely to be successful.

Bosses frequently poo-poo the idea of saying ‘thanks’; their reason being that people should be grateful to have a job. This is especially true in a down economy — which is shortsighted and stupid.

But, as the man said, the times they are a’changing.

In the last few years, more and more leaders have started to adopt this practice, including Mark Zuckerberg, who in 2014 challenged himself to write one thank-you note every day, according to The Washington Post.

Gratitude — taking that bit of time to say ‘thanks’ — costs nothing and offers some of the highest ROI of any action you may take.

Image credit: purdman1

Yesterday Al Hulvey, my guest poster, talked about the VCs who saw the current economic situation as one of opportunity and I strongly agree with them.

Perhaps it’s because I can draw a clear parallel between their view and my 20+ years as a headhunter. Anyone can make deals when times are good, but it’s the cyclical downturns that separate the best from the rest and that applies not just to recruiters, but to companies—especially startups.

Today’s four Bits offer some useful lessons for gutsy entrepreneurs as well as those in established businesses.

• First we start with basics. John Osher’s famous 17 Mistakes Start-ups Make. Osher identified them after selling his company, then did another startup making sure to avoid them and sold it for nearly four times as much.

• Next is Five H.R. mistakes you can’t afford to make, an HR warning for startups and small businesses, but large companies ignore them at their own peril, too.

• Continuing right along, if you’re starting a company it worth real dollars to pay attention to the really important parts of your corporate culture right from the start—such as ethics. Sharon Allen, Deloitte & Touche USA chairman of the board, says, “…ethics are what guide our actions when no one else is watching.”

• Finally, a short, but fascinating, look at Campbell’s that illustrates not just superb communications, but also a great branding story.

Enjoy!

Image credit: flickr