Employee Appreciation Habits That Motivate Teams

Most career advice is pure noise. But after 20+ years of scaling global tech teams, here's the one habit that's generated more opportunities, deeper connections, and unexpected innovations than any "growth hack": One thoughtful thank-you email. Every Friday. No exceptions. Here's the counterintuitive truth: Gratitude isn't just warm fuzzies—it's a strategic accelerator for your career and organization. The 60-Second System That Works: 1. Set a "Gratitude Alarm" 🔔 • Friday, 9 AM • No meetings, no distractions • Just you and your inbox 2. Pick ONE Person Who: • Challenged your thinking • Saved you from a blind spot • Made the impossible possible 3. Write with Specificity: • Skip the "thanks for everything" • Name the exact moment/action • Share the ripple effects The Hidden ROI (That Nobody Talks About): Neural Rewiring: This isn't just feel-good fluff. Weekly gratitude physically reshapes your brain's pattern recognition. You'll start spotting opportunities others miss. Trust Acceleration: In distributed teams, trust builds differently. One genuine thank-you creates more psychological safety than 10 "team building" exercises. Innovation Catalyst: When people feel seen, they take bigger risks. I've watched "thank you" emails transform cautious teams into innovation powerhouses. Pro Tip: Want 10x impact? Skip the email. Send a handwritten note instead. In our digital age, analog gratitude is your secret weapon. Your Challenge This Week: Who made your last 5 days better? They probably don't even know it. Time to change that. Drop a comment below if you're joining the Friday Thank You revolution. #LeadershipLessons #Innovation #GratitudeInTech

Performance isn’t only fueled by KPIs, strategy, or feedback loops. It’s fueled by something far more human: being seen. When people feel appreciated, their nervous systems settle. Their ideas flow. Their energy returns. They stop performing to survive — and start showing up to contribute. And the best part? Appreciation doesn’t need to be grand or complex. It just needs to be consistent and genuine. Here’s what I’ve seen high-impact leaders do: 🔹 Start team meetings with shoutouts → Create space for peer recognition. 🔹 Send thank-you notes on Fridays → A simple message can shift someone’s entire week. 🔹 Celebrate micro-wins, not just milestones — → Progress and consistent efforts matter. 🔹 Personalize praise → Tailor it to what each person values most. 🔹 Publicly spotlight effort, not just results → Reinforce the behaviors that lead to outcomes. These aren’t soft skills. They’re performance accelerators. Because when people feel seen, they show up more fully. And when appreciation becomes a ritual, not a one-off — culture transforms. It’s not about flattery. It’s about honoring effort, reinforcing value, and reminding people that what they do matters.

Happy Employee Appreciation Week (EAW for short)! At Chase, we know that appreciation is more than just a yearly event—it’s a daily commitment. It means acknowledging the small, often unnoticed efforts that contribute to our success and expressing gratitude for the hard work that might not always be visible but is crucial to our achievements. In our fast-paced environment, recognition is essential. It fuels motivation, engagement, and a sense of belonging. As we kick off EAW this year, I want to highlight the importance of recognizing and valuing our incredible team members every day and share how I show appreciation – emojis and exclamation marks (and the occasional BOOM)! I love getting updates on achievements via email and use it as an opportunity to quickly thank our team and celebrate their success. Our jobs are hard! We’re breaking down big, complex challenges, at incredible scale and a positive and upbeat attitude supports and inspires people. I bring that to every interaction I have – particularly those that are in the thick of this work – as I know it inspires me when I experience the same. Here are some ways I do that: 1. Be Timely and Specific: Recognize achievements as they happen. Specific feedback is more impactful than generic praise (e.g., “You’re doing a great job” vs. sharing specifically what is great about the work that’s being done). 2. Personalize Your Approach: Understand what forms of recognition resonate with each team member. Tailor your appreciation to their preferences. Some folks prefer to be recognized privately vs. sharing praise in a big group setting and vice versa. I’ve also found some folks appreciate a written thank you more than saying it in a meeting. 3. Encourage Peer Recognition and Lead by Example: Foster a culture where colleagues appreciate and recognize each other by doing it yourself. Celebrate other peoples’ wins. Peer recognition can be incredibly powerful (and it helps boost morale and motivation, too). On that note, thank you to all my amazing Chase (and JPMorganChase) colleagues for your hard work, dedication, and passion. You inspire me every day, and I am grateful for everything you do. Let’s celebrate you this week and every week! 🎉 #EmployeeAppreciationWeek #Gratitude #Recognition