For Whom Are You Grateful in Your Work?

A successful training program propels a company forward, engaging its employees and positively impacting its bottom line. It is the role of the learning and development (L&D) specialist or consultant to successfully design and deliver the learning material. In the process of determining a company’s training needs, creating the curriculum, and launching the course, the L&D professional may on occasion take his or her relationships with key stakeholders for granted. Expressing gratitude is a way to recognize everyone’s value in the process, while strengthening relationships for the next big project.

The L&D professional may wish to acknowledge:

His or her own manager, often an HR Director or line of business manager, who provides information and direction about the company’s goals, as well as overall buy-in for the chosen curriculum (depending on the organization).

The subject matter experts (SMEs) who are the authority on the curriculum content and provide valuable guidance for the course.

The learners who use their new knowledge to improve their performance and that of the company. Also, their written evaluations and enthusiasm may determine if you run the class again.

How can we express gratitude to those who help us develop and deliver learning throughout the organization? The simple ways are often the best – an e-mail note, a text message, a handwritten card, or even a simple “thank you” in person. People need to feel appreciated, and a little gratitude goes a long way toward establishing a strong and meaningful working relationship.

As a business owner, I am reminded this November of all the people who help me to do my job here at EnVision…our clients, whose projects challenge and engage us; the EnVision team members, each of whom contributes her or his own talents to EnVision’s success; and all the vendors, learners, and colleagues who help us along the way. Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!