Great leaders don’t just say ‘Thanks’

Have you ever sat in a meeting where the leader wrapped up a big project with, “Thanks everyone, you all did a great job”?

You’re meant to feel appreciated, but instead, it lands flat. And you catch yourself thinking, “You don’t even know what I did. Why are you thanking me?”

You’ve probably experienced something like this. And it’s not that the leader is being unkind, they’re just not saying thank you in a way that means anything.

Yes, there is a right and a wrong way to say thank you.

When you learn how to do it well, your team feel seen and appreciated. They’re happier, and you become a more effective and influential leader.

The power of recognition

Recognition matters more than most leaders think. When people feel noticed, their confidence goes up. They stay engaged. They put in better work because they know it counts for something. Without it, even good people switch off.

But don’t take my word for it, here are some nice statistics to mull over:

• A review by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that personal, non-monetary recognition (thanks, approval, public acknowledgement) “significantly boosts employee interest in and enjoyment of work, attendance, commitment and engagement.” CIPD
• Another large-scale study of 25,285 employees found that recognition has a strong positive effect on engagement (more so than fairness or leadership alone). PLOS
• According to Harvard Business Review, employees whose managers were good at recognising them were more than 40% more engaged than those whose managers were not. hbr.org

In short, recognising people’s work isn’t just nice. It links directly to better engagement, morale and retention.

There’s some science behind it too. When someone feels appreciated the brain actually lights up. Receiving recognition releases dopamine and serotonin—the happy chemicals that help us feel good, regulate emotions and handle stress.  Gratitude also activates the prefrontal cortex, which supports positive thinking, motivation and better decisions.

In a UK study, 78% of respondents said they would work harder if they had more recognition. In that same study, 94% said that employee recognition is critical in retaining talent. The solution to keeping your employees is simple — recognize them.

So why do leaders find thanking people so hard? Or get it wrong?

A few things get in the way.

Some leaders don’t realise the impact of a proper thank you. They think people already know they’re appreciated. Some are just busy and treat it like a tick-box job at the end of a meeting. Others worry it will feel awkward or too personal. A few think it makes them look soft or weak.

These reactions usually come from simple places. Habit. Stress. Not wanting to say the wrong thing. Or never having seen good recognition modelled by their own leaders. If you’ve never had a clear, specific thank you, it’s hard to know how to give one.

Your ‘Thank you’ toolkit

So if you need some help, here are some simple ways to say thank you that actually land.

1. Say thank you, then say why. That’s the part most leaders skip. “I want to thank you for the way you handled that client issue. You kept things calm and you protected the relationship.” Or, “Thanks for stepping in yesterday. You didn’t have to, and it helped the team hit the deadline.”
2. You can leave a hand written note or send a quick email. It takes a minute and it means a lot.
3. Set up a kudos channel in your messaging app so people can recognise each other in real time.
4. And when you hit a milestone, finish a project or get to the end of the year, don’t rush the wrap up. Thank each person on your team and tell them exactly what you appreciate about their work. It shows you noticed the effort, not just the result.

Appreciation leads to influence

Plenty of respected leaders do this well. Not in big, dramatic ways. Just consistently.

Satya Nadella at Microsoft is known for this. He calls out specific behaviours, not personalities. He thanks people for learning, trying, improving and helping others. It sets a tone where effort matters, not just results.

Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, took it even further. She wrote personal letters to the parents of her senior leaders, thanking them for raising someone who made a difference at work. People never forgot it.

You don’t need to copy them, but these examples make one thing clear. Strong leaders don’t lose authority by thanking people. They gain influence because people know their work is seen.

So, where to now?

Well, if you’re not sure where to start, keep it small. Thank one person this week for one specific thing they did. Say what they did and why it mattered. That’s it. Then, do it again next week.

You’ll be surprised how quickly it shifts the way people respond to you. Recognition is a habit. And the leaders who build it become the ones people actually want to follow.