How Do You Show Your Appreciation

When Sheldon Yellen was Belfor Holdings CEO, he wrote approximately 12,000 Handwritten Birthday Cards, anniversary cards, thank you notes and messages to his staff to show his appreciation for their outstanding work. When asked why do it, why write all these birthday cards when your assistant or someone in the company can quickly produce these cards for you. Yellen Responded

“Maintaining that handwritten note as a practice, as a habit, I think is important because it really differentiates you from these e-mails and texts that go on; it lets people know and understand that they matter, I get to drop a little note in each birthday wish, and they feel remembered and valued.” So when Yellen turned 60, he got an appropriate gift—more than 8,000 handwritten birthday cards from BELFOR employees, who wanted to show their appreciation for the CEO’s tradition.

According to Yellen, “One of the cheapest things you can do in life, to make a difference, is just being nice.” “That’s what we should all be striving to do every day because random acts of kindness are invaluable to the people we serve every day.