Emotional rehiring is a simple but powerful form of positive feedback. It is as simple as authentically telling someone why you are thankful to have him or her on your team. It is easy to do, and if you make this simple practice a common part of your culture, you will increase appreciation, build loyalty, and enhance engagement.

Emotional rehiring can be done in a conversation or in writing. In a conversation, it takes less than 30 seconds. Writing the same message might take you all of three or four minutes and creates a tangible, permanent token of your appreciation. This tiny investment of effort can deliver enormous returns over time.

Here is an example of what emotional rehiring might look like in writing:

1. Bruno,
2. Congratulations on earning an important referral from our new client. Spontaneous referrals are the highest form of praise. Your ability to listen, your sense of urgency, and your unwavering dedication to delivering the highest quality are building our business. I'm glad you're here!
3. Larry

This is a major deposit in Bruno's emotional bank account. Note that it highlights a specific accomplishment, calls attention to three specific strengths, and points out the contribution to the organization. The last sentence is the punch line. It explicitly rehires the person. Predictably, this works only if it is completely authentic.

Here are some guidelines to help you maximize its impact:

1. Refer to a specific example of what the person did.
2. State clearly how it makes a difference, adds value, or contributes to the mission.
3. Use a phrase that expresses the sentiment, “I'm glad you're here.”
4. Put it in an envelope to create some anticipation.
5. Give it to the person.

How would you feel if your boss did this for you from time to time? If you make this a part of your culture, you will also improve the emotional hygiene of your organization, you will increase the ratio of positive to negative comments, and some people may even follow your lead and start doing this themselves.

You can do this for people who do not report to you and for people who are not part of your organization like clients or vendors. You can also extend this as a powerful form of positive feedback to your friends and family members.

Within your organization, do you think a week goes by without someone doing something worthy of recognition or appreciation? (Hint: The correct answer is, “No.”)

What if you wrote at least one note every week? What if every person in management in your organization wrote one a week? How many tangible instances of appreciation or recognition would you generate in a year?

Someone always asks, “Can you overdo this?” That should be your problem. Remember the optimal positive to negative ratio is somewhere between 3:1 and 5:1. Remember bad is stronger than good. Remember that people hear plenty of criticism. Be the one person who catches people doing things right and recognizes them for it. You really cannot overdo positive feedback. The only potential pitfall is sincerity. If each note is sincere and specific, and highlights something meaningful, you can't overdo this kind of positive feedback, especially when it ends with the, “I'm glad you're here,” kind of sentiment that creates an emotional rehire. However, if you can't be sincere and authentic, better not do it at all.

You might think you do not have the time to do this. Based on data from our training programs that use this as an exercise, if you already have the notecard and a pen, the average amount of time to write a note that emotionally rehires someone is three to four minutes. Why wouldn't you be willing to invest three to four minutes a week on a strategy that will improve morale, engagement, and job satisfaction? Why wouldn't you invest three to four minutes a week to make a greater difference as a manager?

Thanksgiving presents a wonderful opportunity to emotionally rehire people who are important to you—in both your personal and professional lives. Consider sending Thanksgiving cards instead of Christmas cards or generic holiday cards. This is a specific application of emotional rehiring.

The sheer number of cards sent around the Christmas season makes it impossible for your card to stand out. But if you send Thanksgiving cards, they arrive earlier than others and you do not have to worry about the person's religion. Give it a try.