September 14, 2011
THANK Tanks, Not THINK Tanks

I'd like your feedback on a new idea of mine which I have playfully named THANK TANKS (with the help of one of my FB friends).

The idea, still rough, is for organizations to provide their employees with a practical way to express their appreciation (of each other and the business) -- instead of always harping on what's wrong.

In the same way that Quality Circles were a big hit in the 80's, THANK TANKS (i.e. "Appreciation Circles"), might be exactly what the doctor ordered for these difficult times.

The idea is related to the practice of Appreciative Inquiry, but is not focused on improving organizational processes. Rather, it focuses on the all-too-rare moment of people appreciating each other.

I realize that some business leaders will consider this a trivial pursuit. So be it.

I'm betting there are many forward thinking leaders who will be open to the idea -- especially if the execution of it is simple, engaging, low cost, and raises morale.

At the very least, consider devoting 10 minutes, in some of your meetings, for people to acknowledge each other for all the good stuff that is going on.

Your thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? How do you see this working in your company?

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Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at September 14, 2011 12:41 PM

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