No, I am not talking about the brain numb appreciation that we get when our leadership tells a community of 2,500 people how much they appreciate everyone's commitment and dedication. All the while, you glance over at Joe who is the epitome of the walking dead. No, what I am talking about is the real, personalized and heart felt appreciation that was, not just popular, but part of the business culture years ago. So, I'll ask the questions that need to be asked:

• When was the last time you called an employee on their birthday, employment anniversary, or wedding anniversary?
• When was the last time you took the time to recognize your employee whose kids are graduating College?
• When was the last time you emailed an employee thanking them for just being a part of the company?
• When was the last time you wrote a real thank you note and mailed it to an employee congratulating them for getting certified?
• When was the last time you reached out to a co-worker that you haven't seen in 5 years?
• When was the last time you took an employee two levels below you to lunch and picked up the tab?
• Now, let's flip this around. When was the last time you thanked your manager for being there?

Look, I am no Polly-Anna. My rose colored glasses were ground to powder a long time ago but this stuff matters. At home, I have just a couple of things on my desk. One is a real thank you letter; on company letter head, that I got 22 years ago. The Vice President simply wanted to say thank you for being there and helping the company succeed. How many have I received since then? Not a single one that was personalized but plenty rubber stamped ones that everyone else got. How would I describe this lack of real and heart felt appreciation in corporate America? Sad, Stupid, Idiotic, and one major reason for such a high degree of turnover. Why don't managers extend themselves with a little appreciation? Simply, they don't get it either. This stuff starts at the top and filters down. If you manager doesn't thank you very often, then you can bank they aren't getting any appreciation either. What happened to us, to busy, to proud, to afraid, or to embarrassed to do the right thing?