Thursday, April 30, 2009

Out of the mouths of babes: a lesson in true appreciation



In my continued commitment to stay fit, I decided to try Karate with my children. My two sons love it, and I wanted to try something new to shake up my running routine.

I have to say I am pleasantly surprised with the classes.

As well as the fitness bonus–yes, I was sore for the first couple of days–there is an unexpected learning lesson for me. Every month, Sensei Ron introduces a new word to the class. The kids learn the explanation, share examples in class and are required to go out and practice that word for the month, bringing in and sharing more examples each class.

For the month of April the word is: appreciation, “thankful for the little and big things in my life”

Last class, Sensei Ron asked us how we have been recognized lately. “Not, ’hey, how ya doin’’ recognized, but how have you been appreciated?”

Out of the mouths of babes came:


  • “a friend laughed at my joke and I felt happy”

  • “a teacher said my work was good, and I was proud”

  • “my mom thanked me for helping her with the dishes, and I felt helpful”

They beamed as they spoke! Wow, I thought to myself, here it is right in front of me–the truth that is basic human nature: to be recognized and valued allows us all to shine to the best we can be.

Sharing this with companies is my passion, and it couldn’t be more perfect than to hear this truth from children- this group is around 7-14 years old, with 2 of us adults, a little older.

Any company can change the world by changing the way they do business by simply recognizing their employees using compassion. When I look at our clients, the most successful companies in North America, it is no coincidence that their success is due to the fact that their CEOs recognize their employees.

Join the Recognition Revolution, one thank you at a time.

Recognize someone today with a ‘thank you’, a ‘nice job’, a ‘well done’, and just watch what shows up!

Making it easy for you to say thank you, click here for a free PDF download of our Thank You cards to print, and have ready at your fingertips. Anytime, anywhere, you can say thank you.

Thanks, Sensei Ron.
Janet


2 comments:

Isabelle Mercier said...

Janet,
this is one of your best newsletter and blog post combo ever. You are on fire! I am very proud to be a part of your team. LOVE the Recognition Revolution! Count me in!

Anonymous said...

It's true how gestures which we might think are small, actually echo large with others.
We only have to be open to the experience.