Why Thanking a Coworker Can Transform Your IT Team: The Power of a Simple “Thank You”

TLDR: Why Thank-Yous Matter

• A sincere “thank you,” even for routine work, can boost morale and motivation.
  
• Gratitude in IT shows awareness, emotional intelligence, and leadership.
  
• Thanking coworkers for “just doing their job” reinforces trust and teamwork.
  
• The Five Principles of IT Customer Service, competence, compassion, empathy, listening, and respect, come alive through gratitude.
  
• Awareness and intentionality turn quick thank-yous into meaningful connections.
  
• Small words of appreciation can have long-lasting effects, just like Beatrice’s story.
  

Read the full article just below the video.

My daughter, Beatrice, is working on her certification as a school principal. Recently, she had to give a presentation to a group of educators as part of that program. She spent hours preparing, researching, creating slides, and rehearsing to ensure her audience received real value from her presentation.

Afterward, while reviewing her emails, she found a short message from her supervisor. It was just two sentences: a quick note recognizing her for doing an excellent job.

Beatrice told me that simple, two-sentence email filled her cup for the entire week.

It didn’t come with a bonus, an award, or a public announcement. But those two sentences validated her effort. They told her that her hard work mattered.

That’s the power of a simple thank you.

We often think gratitude should be reserved for big accomplishments, major projects, heroic efforts, or above-and-beyond contributions. But in truth, the quiet, consistent work that keeps an organization running often goes unrecognized. And that’s where thanking a coworker becomes so important.

Gratitude In a Technical World

In IT, our days revolve around tickets, uptime, metrics, and troubleshooting. We’re trained to solve problems efficiently. But people aren’t tickets. And relationships don’t improve through automation.

Think about the network admin who keeps the Wi-Fi stable so everyone else can get their work done. Or the help desk technician who calmly answers the same question twenty times a day. Or the sysadmin who patches systems late at night so users aren’t disrupted in the morning.

They may be “just doing their job,” but their job, done well, is what enables your success. When you take time to thank them, even briefly, you’re acknowledging that truth. You’re saying, I see you. What you do matters.

Awareness and Intentionality

Gratitude only has real power when it’s both aware and intentional. Awareness means noticing the contributions others make, large or small. Intentionality means choosing to act on that awareness, choosing words and timing that create a positive impact.

For example, if a colleague helps you troubleshoot a stubborn issue, it’s easy to say “thanks” in passing. But imagine instead saying, “I really appreciate the way you stuck with me on that issue today. I learned something from how you approached it.”

That kind of intentional gratitude makes people feel seen and valued. It also strengthens your working relationship and encourages similar collaboration in the future.

Gratitude and the Five Principles of IT Customer Service

In my book The Compassionate Geek, I write about the Five Principles of IT Customer Service: technical competence, compassion, empathy, good listening skills, and treating others with dignity and respect.

Those principles aren’t just for end users, they apply equally to how we treat our coworkers. When you thank a coworker, you’re practicing all five:

• Technical competence because you understand that soft skills enhance your professional impact.
  
• Compassion because you’re taking time to acknowledge another person’s effort.
  
• Empathy because you recognize what they gave up, time, energy, or focus, to help.
  
• Listening because you’re paying attention to their contributions.
  
• Dignity and respect because your words say, “You matter to this team.”
  

Gratitude is a living expression of those principles.

The Ripple Effect

A student told a story about a systems engineer who quietly handled patch management. It wasn’t glamorous work, no applause, no spotlight. After one particularly smooth maintenance cycle, the CIO sent him a quick thank-you note.

He explained it was the first time anyone had ever thanked him for patching servers. That message changed how he saw his job. From then on, his confidence and engagement noticeably improved.

That’s how much influence a simple thank-you can carry. It motivates people, builds loyalty, and reinforces the behaviors that make teams strong.

And the effect multiplies. When one person feels appreciated, they’re more likely to express gratitude to others. Over time, that creates a culture of appreciation where everyone feels invested in shared success.

How to Make Gratitude a Habit

If you want to build gratitude into your daily routine, here are a few simple steps:

1. Notice contributions. At the end of each day, ask yourself who made your job easier. It could be something as small as a quick answer in Slack or a well-documented process.
   
2. Be specific. General “thanks” are fine, but specific ones, “Thanks for catching that before deployment”, mean more.
   
3. Act quickly. Don’t wait for a formal review or meeting. Gratitude has the most impact when it’s timely.
   
4. Thank people for doing their job well. It’s not redundant, it’s respect. Their job supports yours.
   
5. Model it. Gratitude spreads when people see it practiced. If you’re in a leadership role, make your appreciation visible. (Remember, however, you don’t have to be in a leadership role to express appreciation to a coworker.)
   

Gratitude as Leadership

You don’t have to be a manager to lead with gratitude. Leadership isn’t a title, it’s behavior. When you consistently thank others, you become someone people trust and enjoy working with.

Expressing gratitude shows confidence, humility, and maturity. It communicates that you recognize the value others bring, and that you don’t take it for granted. Those are the qualities of a compassionate leader, and a compassionate geek.

Full Circle Back to Beatrice

When Beatrice told me how that two-sentence email from her supervisor made her week, it reminded me that leadership doesn’t always require grand gestures. Sometimes, the smallest acknowledgment makes the biggest impact.

The same applies in IT. When you thank a coworker, whether it’s a developer for fixing a bug, a technician for covering a shift, or a teammate for updating documentation, you might just make their whole week a little brighter.

You never know when your words will be the two sentences that fill someone’s cup.

That’s the quiet, enduring power of a simple thank you.

Top Takeaways

1. A simple thank-you has lasting impact. Like Beatrice’s story, small gestures of appreciation can motivate people for days.
   
2. Thank people for doing their job well. Their consistent work supports your success.
   
3. Be aware and intentional. Notice contributions and express thanks thoughtfully and promptly.
   
4. Gratitude embodies the Five Principles. Competence, compassion, empathy, listening, and respect all shine through in sincere appreciation.
   
5. Gratitude is leadership. It builds trust, boosts morale, and helps create a culture of cooperation and respect.

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