Billion-Dollar CEOs Champion Handwritten Notes and Breakroom Meals to Foster Employee Loyalty

The Personal Touch in Corporate Leadership

In what appears to be a growing trend among successful executives, CEOs of billion-dollar companies are increasingly turning to traditional methods of employee engagement, with handwritten thank-you notes and informal breakroom interactions becoming signature practices, according to reports. This approach represents a conscious shift toward more personal leadership styles in an increasingly digital workplace environment.

The Personal Touch in Corporate Leadership
First Watch CEO’s Handwritten Tradition
Breaking Down Corporate Barriers
Industry Leaders Embrace Similar Practices
Energy Sector CEO Values Personal Recognition
Younger Leaders Value Analog Methods
The Enduring Power of Personal Connection

First Watch CEO’s Handwritten Tradition

Chris Tomasso, CEO of the $1 billion-a-year breakfast and lunch chain First Watch, reportedly writes hundreds of handwritten congratulatory notes to employees celebrating major milestones with the company. Sources indicate Tomasso has penned over 500 notes to cooks, dishwashers, and other team members recognizing their loyalty and contributions.

“I just love people that pick their lane, they love it, and they don’t want to do anything else,” Tomasso told Fortune, explaining his philosophy. “They want to be the best dishwasher they can, and so I want to thank and reward loyalty, longevity, [and] the contributions that they make to the company.”

Breaking Down Corporate Barriers

Beyond the handwritten notes, Tomasso’s leadership approach includes regularly eating lunch in employee breakrooms, a practice that reportedly surprises new hires. “I eat lunch in the break room with everybody, which always, for whatever reason, blows new employees away,” Tomasso stated. Analysts suggest this deliberate effort to minimize hierarchical distinctions helps foster stronger workplace connections.

The First Watch CEO traces his people-first approach to early in his career when he received a handwritten thank-you note from his own CEO at Hard Rock Café—a letter he’s kept to this day. When Tomasso became CEO in 2018, he decided to carry that same philosophy forward., according to according to reports

Industry Leaders Embrace Similar Practices

This appreciation for personal connection extends beyond the restaurant industry. Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, has long embraced the gesture of handwritten notes, reportedly sending three to five thank-you notes daily before the pandemic. With the shift to remote work, sources indicate he now supplements handwritten messages with texts, emails, and phone calls while maintaining the same sentiment.

“I was taught by great mentors of the power of sending a thank-you note,” van Raemdonck told Fortune in 2023. “It’s really important for me—the moment of ‘thank you’—because I know what it is to receive a thank-you, to be acknowledged.”

Energy Sector CEO Values Personal Recognition

Mike Wirth, chairman and CEO of energy giant Chevron, also takes time to send what he describes as “old-school, on paper” appreciation messages to employees worldwide. On the How Leaders Lead podcast, Wirth reflected: “I think back to when I was early in my career, and if a CEO had sent me a letter and actually knew what I was doing, it would have been a really big deal for me.”

Wirth reportedly tries to remember his own early career experiences when connecting with employees today, ensuring they feel appreciated for their contributions.

Younger Leaders Value Analog Methods

The practice of putting pen to paper isn’t limited to established corporate leaders. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, often turns to writing when problem-solving, viewing it as “externalized thinking.” The 40-year-old executive explained on the How I Write podcast: “I still, if I have a very hard problem, or if I feel a little bit confused about something, have not found anything better to do than to sit down and make myself write it out.”

The Enduring Power of Personal Connection

As artificial intelligence continues to transform communication, these leadership practices suggest that personal touches may provide competitive advantages in employee retention and satisfaction. Tomasso summarized the philosophy on LinkedIn: “Our job is to create an environment where our employees are happy and feel appreciated and they take care of the rest. And they do it better than anyone.”

Business analysts suggest that while technology has made communication faster, the deliberate slowness of handwritten notes and face-to-face interactions in breakrooms creates meaningful connections that digital messages cannot replicate.