Looking at my work and life experience from both sides of the desk – as an employee, and as a manager and even company owner – I ask myself: what was I feeling when things weren’t going right? When the world seemed out of balance? When I had done the work, given it my all, but it still didn’t taste good? Even when I was well paid? Or when I was paying others well? What was up? What was I missing?

Appreciation – that’s what I was missing.

Think about it. Why do you sometimes feel an emptiness even after doing a great job chasing down a problem for a customer? Why the feeling of a kick in the stomach when the boss seems oblivious to great results from your efforts, and instead picks on some trifling detail? If you are a manager or business owner, why do you shrug and shake your head despondently when an employee leaves your business after training them and teaching them a new craft for months, or years?

Appreciation would have made all the difference.

I am fortunate to be able to say that I have always been paid what I asked for, and then some, particularly in the last decade when my compensation was more than sufficient. Yet, there were days when I felt, well – unappreciated. We each recognize an exquisite balance between tangible compensation (salary, bonus, benefits, insurance plans, company car, window office, etc.) and much loved intangibles (a smile, a letter of gratitude, a congratulatory email, a pat on the back, a warm referral, etc.). When either tangible or intangible compensation is out of proportion to the other, we know it, we sense it, we can describe it. At the extremes, we won’t stay in a company where we are paid appropriately, or even well, but the management or the culture is unappreciative, or even toxic. We each have examples of this imbalance: I once quit a company that was the top in its industry, with very interesting, even prestigious line of work, but the mental abuse nullified my handsome salary. So money is not enough.

At the other end, if you work for a company that is cash strapped, and even if the owner / management is very well behaved, very friendly, approachable and – appreciative – but misses payroll from time to time, well, you have only so much patience for them. Appreciation is good. But you still need to pay your bills.

Appreciation is appreciated on both sides of the desk. The manager / owner wants to see smiles and words of appreciation from its employees who recognize the opportunity presented to them by the employment or contractual relationship. The employee / contracted worker is grateful to managers for expressions of a job well done, or of a customer appreciating a problem resolved, or of recognition from peers. We all need that.

Let’s be the change we want to see. Turn to someone, now – let them know how much you appreciate them.

What are you giving away – with no expectation of return? What part of your value or of your services are you rendering to others as your gift for the greater good? And, you may be asking, why this topic today? Well, if you suspect that this topic was chosen to set the reader up to make a philanthropic donation to a worthy cause, you are right! Your cause. This is a business topic – about your business.

We establish our businesses to earn an income, to be economically self sufficient, to be productive for ourselves and others. That is understood. But there is room in that profit motive equation for charity, not just the traditional type of charity of benevolent donations to worthy causes, but charity with an intent of benefiting the greater good, of which we are also a part. Sounds circuitous, doesn’t it? Let me use two specific examples to illustrate, one of a local entrepreneur, the second one of a national magazine.

My friend Scott owns a bicycle shop in my neighborhood. I’m an avid cyclist, and some years ago when I needed a new pair of cycling shoes I went through several catalogues and found exactly what I wanted. The shoes were identically priced at $179.99 in three catalogs. I took all three catalogs to Scott and said to him: “These are the shoes I want. Please order them from your sources and I’ll pay you the catalog price, so you can have the profit.” He ordered the shoes and a few days later he called me to come pick them up. When I came to get the shoes he charged me $120. I said, “Scott, you’re giving me a big break here, sixty dollars…” He said, “No problem, I made my money.” Well, can you guess what I’ve been doing ever since? He gave me a $60 savings that I wasn’t expecting so I’ve been buying every article for bicycling from him, and singing his praises! How many customers have I sent his way who have bought his high end bikes? He gave of himself, expecting nothing – we didn’t have an agreement, not even implicitly, for a price break. But in doing so he gained a great deal more. (Visit Scott Likly, Towpath Bicycles, Pittsford, NY)

The second example is Fast Company magazine. When it was launched, they held to a principle of sharing and giving their information, the content of their articles, freely and openly. Now, more than a decade later I love to receive my copy of Fast Company in the mail for its contemporary and timely content. But wait, there’s more. I love to go on their website and search their archives for topics of interest: on leadership, on entrepreneurship, on branding (personal and corporate), on social media – the list is endless. Don’t try that at home with other publications. Many other publications, including our city newspaper, charge at least ten bucks for an archived article. Fast Company archives are easy to find – and they are free. At Fast Company they have adhered to a spirit of giving – a spirit that others need to emulate. Look at the evidence: in this article I’ve just told you about two enterprises that keep on giving.

Is your brand known for giving?