Today, New York City is holding a VIP funeral for one of its greatest Mayors, Ed Koch. Everyone knew Ed Koch was one of the best Mayors New York ever had. What’s surprising to me is the incredible outpouring of love and loss over his passing. One of his closest friends said this outpouring exceeded everyone’s expectations and that Ed Koch would have been thrilled. A true testimonial to the quality and character of the man.

My question is why do we wait for someone to pass to show our deepest appreciation for all they have accomplished? In fact, how often do we even show any kind of appreciation for daily acts of service. Besides tipping, do we take an extra moment to say to the waitress “ thank you for your superb service today”. Do we write a letter or email of thank you for that customer service rep who helped us with our problem? Do we pat our employees on the back and tell them how they did a great job, or do we wait for the performance review? Even then, do we focus more on areas for improvement than we do showing appreciation?  If you like what you are reading and want to automatically receive more helpful tools, sign up for your FREE subscription to our Sales & Leadership E-Report

We tend to tell others when they screw up, but less often when they do their jobs properly. We take a good performance as an everyday expectation with no need to show appreciation. Look for our upcoming post Five Ways to Show Appreciation.

Yet study after study shows that recognition is always at the top of the list of ten motivators for employees. Money is number five. You want to motivate someone to continue giving you the great service you received today, take a moment to comment on how you enjoyed their service. Show your appreciation for that job well done; let them know that their level of service is appreciated. Same goes to all managers and executives looking to improve productivity of their employees! Let your employees know when they do well and how much you appreciate their efforts!