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Despite the swirl of new strategies and technology and her demanding schedule overseeing the company, Sharon Price John dedicates an hour every Friday to writing thank-you notes.
She shared that her practice is now being adopted by company leaders. (Photo Credits: X)
In a business world often dominated by emails, instant messages, and fleeting digital interactions, the CEO of a $486 million toy business based in the United States has a unique Friday ritual. Despite the swirl of new strategies and technology and her demanding schedule overseeing a multi-million-dollar Build-A-Bear company, Sharon Price John dedicates an hour every Friday to writing thank-you notes. This seemingly small but impactful act sets her apart in the fast-paced world of corporate America.
Talking about her weekly Friday practice, John told Fortune her business days are packed with back-to-back meetings and post-work events. Often, it’s easy to forget to point out employees’ wins at the moment. Carving out a chunk of time to appreciate a great sales day or penning a message of appreciation helps her stay on top of the week and is also great for her business.
“I found that means an awful lot to people. It only takes a few seconds to text somebody. It’s very easy in this role to focus on everything that needs to be fixed, and there is always something that needs to be fixed. But if you balance it and acknowledge and be thoughtful about the things that are going right, sometimes that helps the momentum,” John said.
Elaborating further, she shared that her practice is now being adopted by company leaders. “I’d hope that the people that I am sending these emails or texts to are also then turning and doing that for their organisation,” she said.
In addition to her weekly displays of gratitude, the CEO also said, “The chief executive is an incredibly varied type of position where you have to be a bit of a jack of all trades, and I think that sometimes surprises people when they step into the CEO role.”
“Potential bosses must be prepared for a “learning curve,” but that spirit of learning and leaning in is still one of her favourite aspects of the gig, even after nearly 12 years in the role,” she concluded.
Build-A-Bear recorded profits in December, expecting total revenues for the full year to be up to $495 million, as reported by Fortune. All of the company’s physical stores are profitable, up from 80 per cent over the past 10 years.
This weekly ritual reinforces the company’s culture of appreciation and strengthens connections within the Build-A-Bear Workshop community.
