Gratitude and Endorsements: The Secret Weapon of Networking

Tony comes into work late one afternoon. Tired, cranky, and dealing with a lot of things in his personal life, and when he gets to work he starts to underperform. Tony, leading the entire marketing team on a new project, is a important person in the chain of command who needs some support. With due dates closing in and the project not going well, he can't seem to lead his team where they need to go. But this uncharacteristic of him and his boss notices. Instead of giving support and motivation, he instead lectures Tony and warns him if he does not pick it up he will be replaced as the team leader. This is something all managers should avoid, but this manager is known for having a no-BS style of running things that has little room for compassion. After the meeting with the manager, Tony simply gives up. Deadlines approach and none are met, Tony was soon moved to another project while bringing the baggage with him.

Or something like this could have happened.

Tony comes in, tired, cranky, and dealing with a lot in his own life. Newly appointed to a leadership role on the marketing team for a new addition to their product, Tony struggles to lead the team efficiently. Some deadlines are missed and noticing the lack of progress Tony's boss calls a meeting with him. Right from the start the manager says,

"Tony, I wanted to thank you for all the hard work you have been putting into this project. I know it's not easy and you're doing great."

Now instead of feeling defeated, Tony was given gratitude for his hard work and was offered advice.  Tony knows he has the support he needs and charges back into the team and leads effectively. Deadlines are met and the project goes fantastic, so much so that he is put in charge of other efforts.

See the difference? Gratitude and endorsements can mean the world to your team. And your team leaders. Or simply past business partners. Unfortunately though, our Tony here is not a superhero in a sick metal suit fighting aliens and evil organizations.

In this blog:

• Gratitude in Business
• Endorsements in Business
• Gratitude and Endorsements on NuOp
• The Effect Of Gratitude and Endorsements
• Conclusion

Gratitude in business

If you are wondering, what the heck does gratitude have to do with business? They don't mix, gratitude is more in the world of friendships, partners, and more personal connections right? Well, you are not completely wrong. Though it is unfortunate that business and gratitude are not paired together more. As there are some great benefits to be seen, just look back to our good friend Tony.

Interestingly enough, for Americans, the office and workspace are the least likely places people exchange gratitude.  However when asked the story is quite different, according to Intelligent Change, "Although as many as 93% of the respondents agreed that a grateful boss is more likely to succeed, and almost all of them agreed that a simple “thank you” at work made them feel valued and respected, only 10% were actually prone to express gratefulness." If there is clear evidence that expressing gratitude in the workplace does work, why don't more people engage in it? That is a cultural question, but with our current ideology of the office or work in general, there is little space for this behavior. But companies with a culture of friendliness and kindness, for example, Airbnb, find more success.

Simply put, expressing gratitude can create a positive work culture, increase employee morale, and foster strong relationships with clients and customers. When employees feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated, leading to higher levels of productivity and job satisfaction.

Finally, in the real estate business and many other professions, if you show gratitude to your clients, they are more likely to refer you to their network. It is a proven way to not only make some friends but keep growing your own business.

Example In Action

Researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania experimented with two groups. Each group was calling people to solicit alumni donations. Group one kept doing this the same way they always have. Whereas group two received a pep talk and words of gratitude beforehand from the director. The director mentioned how grateful she was for their work, and the employees who gave out the calls the following week made 50% more fund-raising calls.

This is just one example of how Gratitude can help out others, and increase productivity.

Endorsements in Business

Just like how giving out gratitude can increase your business, endorsements can as well. It works pretty much in the same way, but it is nonetheless powerful to harness this kind of credibility.

Endorsements, or testimonials, are a form of social proof that can help build trust and credibility with potential clients and customers. When someone endorses you or your business, they are essentially vouching for the quality of your products or services. This can be incredibly valuable in a world where consumers have access to a wealth of information and options at their fingertips.

Endorsements can come in many forms, from written testimonials on your website or social media platforms to reviews on third-party sites like Yelp or Google. But there is a better way to gain endorsements, and that's through your network.

Gratitude and Endorsements on NuOp

The ability to send other people in your network gratitude and endorsements has reached NuOp. Making everything we just talked about simpler than ever. One of the many problems plaguing the process of giving gratitude and endorsements is the same that haunted exchanging business referrals, that is until NuOp came around. But what is this problem? Like we say all the time when referencing opportunities, once you give your thanks, in this case, some gratitude or even a valuable endorsement, it's up to the other party. In short, it's out of your hands. This means that nothing may come of it, the person could forget a day or even an hour later.  But using NuOp to send your gratitude and endorsements is a lot better, and here's why:

• Stays visible forever: When you give or receive gratitude or an endorsement it stays on your profile and the other member's. That means no more losing track of what you got and what you give. This is a powerful signal to other Members as they browse your profile and can posture you for more success on NuOp.
• Fast and easy submission: It only takes the click of two buttons to submit a gratitude or an endorsement. Outside of writing your message of course. You don't have to fill out a card, send a text, or reach out for a conversation. NuOp handles it all for you and notifies the other Member.
• Keep track of your gratitude and endorsement history: Like we just mentioned, you can now keep track of all the gratitude and endorsements you get over your lifetime on NuOp. This makes it easier for others to see how much you are liked within the community. And this could lead to even more business.

As you can see, using NuOp to spread your kind messages and leave endorsements is a good way to grow your reputation. And a better reputation likely means more business. Make sure to check out our other blog for more information on this update, "NuOp - Gratitude and Endorsements Update"

Also, if you need help to get started, make sure to give this other helpful article a read, "How To Use Gratitude and Endorsements".

The Effect Of Gratitude and Endorsements

Ok but what are the effects? Sure giving gratitude and endorsements is overall just a good thing to do, are there any under-the-surface long-lasting effects? Yes, there 100% is! For example, looking back at Tony from the start of our conversation, once his manager gave him words of gratitude he was able to charge back into his task with his team under him and pull everything together. It had a positive psychological effect and motivated him to succeed. Now if that was reversed and he was reprimanded and yelled at, the opposite would have happened, as we have seen as well. But sure, this is a niche example, here are some other positive side effects of gratitude and endorsements.

1. Social validation: When someone sees a person, or a company/brokerage, that is highly endorsed. Then they are likely to be more motivated to interact with that person, company, or brokerage. In other words, they will be positively inclined towards it.
2. Increased resilience: Just like what we have seen with Tony. When someone is encouraged with gratitude, they are more likely to focus on their strengths and well as what resources they have.
3. Increased happiness: What goes around comes around and when you express gratitude and give thanks, you can end up being happier overall. And generally, in positive psychology, gratitude directly relates to consistently greater happiness.

Conclusion

Gratitude and endorsements are an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of business. It can help you grow your network, increase possible clients, and much more. And now with gratitude and endorsements on NuOp, it is easier than ever to use them to grow your business.

Check out our release blog to learn more about what these new features can do for you.