Tradecraft > Gratitude

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In our interviews with successful diplomatic legends, almost all emphasized the importance of gratitude and appreciation as a sign of good leadership and an important management best practice. Thank people and recognize people— it makes a difference and is an essential ingredient of leadership. A few tips from some legends and contributors for how to thank members of your team:

Hand written notes—Take time to write a note to someone, even if it is short. The more we become an email-dominated communication culture, the more impactful a written note can become.

Use Tech To Help—Ok to use technology to reach out when hand written notes are not practical. Ambassador Tefft had all 1500 employees in Moscow's birthdays programmed into his email so he could send a personalized email to each employee on their birthday thanking them for their service.

Thank you for your views—Ambassador Grossman explained that transparency and thanking foreign partners for their views made a difference in how well we worked with them even when our views did not align.

Eat, Drink, Say Thank you—Then Assistant Secretary Nuland sent bottles of Ukrainian vodka to several officers with hand written notes of appreciation at the height of the Revolution of Dignity. A bagel breakfast, a spontaneous happy hour, a lunch—make time to say thanks, to give thanks and to share a bite or a drink.  

Local holidays an opportunity—Make an effort to reach out to the local staff always, but particularly on local holidays, religious, cultural or national. Especially in compound living, there is a lot to be thankful for and it takes a bit more effort. Find ways to thank the guards and staff who keep the compound going.

Public recognition—Thank folks at senior staff meetings, when high level State officials ask for examples and people to highlight during town hall meetings, offer compelling examples. Even if the staff member mentioned is not in attendance at the staff meeting or town hall, they will hear that their efforts were singled out and appreciated.

Employee of the Month—If there is an employee of the month program, great. If not, start one. Even if there is one already, look for new ways to highlight the accomplishment, perhaps by employees of the month (by quarter perhaps?) invited by the Ambassador for coffee at the CMR.

Awards—This is an obvious one, but take advantage of award nominations to spell out just how and why you are grateful for your team’s effort and performance.

Golden Oar—Former spokesperson Admiral Kirby offered a weekly award to the person who "rowed the hardest." He would present the award every week at staff meeting, take a picture of the person with an actual oar, and give them a Starbuck's gift card (which he bought). 

Be Specific, Make it Meaningful—Specific and mission-focused expressions of gratitude are better than vague, general statements of thanks.  This requires more work and it might require having someone else (section chief, control officer, etc) provide needed details, but it is much more meaningful and motivating for the recipient to know that the work was noticed and to hear how it impacted the mission. It does get easier as you get into this habit because you will start automatically noting examples. A classic example was that Secretary Powell made a point of thanking the HST cleaning staff and letting them know he appreciated what they did to make Main State look good and how this made him proud when hosting visitors.

Pay to Play—Many of the ways to say thank you don’t cost a cent. But, some do. Bagel breakfasts, team lunches, cost money and as a leader, don’t be stingy—your success is thanks to your team.  Don’t need to go bankrupt, but don’t be shy about showing your team how much they mean to you and the mission with words, emails, awards, and, yes, bagels.

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