For over a decade, we’ve been writing about the power of gratitude and appreciation in the workplace. It was fun for us to search “Let’s Grow Leaders” and then the words “thanksgiving,” “gratitude at work” and “appreciation” and read our own advice. We’ve had a good bit to say over the years, and we’re happy to say we’re consistent 😉

Gratitude at work matters.

These insights come from working with you and human-centered leaders like you. AND… hearing your frustrations. We’ve seen firsthand how a simple “thank you” can boost morale, strengthen a team, and create a culture where people feel seen and valued. When people feel seen, they feel safe. Safety leads to better engagement and contribution.

We also see the damage when leaders screw this up.

So, as Thanksgiving approaches in the United States, let’s get a bit meta here, and share some of our “gratitude at work” highlights.

Why Gratitude at Work Matters: More Than Just Saying Thanks

Gratitude isn’t just about being polite or sprinkling around a few “thank yous” like confetti. It’s about building an atmosphere where people feel connected and appreciated for their contributions. When people feel seen, they’re more motivated, engaged, and willing to help.

See True Gratitude: More than Pleasantries or Recognition

In this popular Asking for a Friend, Kerry Wekelo and I explore practical approaches for cultivating a culture of gratitude at work.

Encouraging Peer Recognition: Make It Everyone’s Job

One of the best ways to build a culture of gratitude is to help the team celebrate.

Let’s start with why peer recognition is so important.

1. You can catch more good as it’s happening.

You get more of what you encourage and celebrate and less of what you ignore. There’s likely a lot of good going on that you don’t see firsthand. The celebration will be more meaningful because it can be more specific and timely.

2. It creates a cycle of collaboration and celebration.

When people feel appreciated and valued, they’re more likely to go the extra mile to help their teammates.  When you make it easy for team members to recognize that extra mile, you’ve created a virtuous cycle of collaboration and celebration.

3. Peer recognition builds good habits and grows leaders

And third, you’re growing leaders. When you set the expectation that appreciation is a team sport, you’re equipping your team with valuable habits they can transfer to future leadership roles.

For specific ideas for better team recognition check out “Creative Peer Recognition: How to Get Better at Team Appreciation”.

Make Gratitude a Daily Habit: Building a System for Appreciation

When leaders tell us they struggle with gratitude, “After all, why should I have to say thank you for someone doing their job,” (see “How to Be Great at Recognition, Even If It’s Not in Your DNA”)  we encourage them to turn recognition and appreciation into a task.

Make a plan. Schedule it. Track it.

To get more ideas on how to keep appreciation flowing, read “How to Make Better Employee Recognition a Daily Habit”.

Avoiding the “Empty Thank You”: Get Specific

If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a vague “great job,” you know it doesn’t do much. Your can team can tell when your gratitude at work is real =, or when you’re just going through the motions. The key is to make your thanks specific, relevent and meaningful.

Instead of saying, “Good work,” try, “I appreciate how you took the time to walk the new team member through the process. That helped them get up to speed quickly. And as a result, we saved a week on this project.”

This Thanksgiving, aim to be intentional with your words. What did they do? How did it make a difference? Why does it matter?

Check out “Before You Forget: Stop and Do This Now” for more on why specific, meaningful appreciation is so important.

Taking Time for Yourself: Be Grateful for Your Journey

Finally, don’t forget to turn some of that gratitude inward. As you’re appreciating others, take a moment to reflect on your work and growth. What are you proud of? What have you learned this year? Maybe even jot down a few things you’re grateful for in your career. Being kind to yourself is just as important as recognizing others.

See Also: What Do You Like Most About Your Job?

And if, this year has been tough, take a moment to appreciate yourself for making it through. You’ve shown up. Done the work. And, made it to this moment. That’s something to be thankful for.

A Simple Thanksgiving Challenge: Share the Gratitude

To celebrate Thanksgiving this year, try a quick challenge: ask your team to share one thing they’re grateful for about someone they work with. It could be about their approach, a specific action, or how they bring a little joy to the team. The goal is to create a ripple of appreciation that extends beyond the holiday.

If you have a deck of our SynergyStack™ Team Development Cards, you can use the collaboration habits as prompts for thanksgiving and celebration. Invite each team member to share one habit they really appreciate about each team member.

A Decade of Building Better Teams Through Gratitude

Genuine appreciation makes a difference. It’s not just about making people feel good—it’s about creating a culture where people feel seen, respected, and motivated to give their best. This Thanksgiving, take a moment to express gratitude for the people who make your work life richer. It’s a small act that can have a big impact.

Thank you for being on his journey with us, and for making gratitude a core part of your work. Here’s to more years of building strong, appreciative, human-centered teams together.

The post Thanksgiving At Work: Creating a Culture of Gratitude on Your Team appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Every week we hear from hard-working, high-performing employees who long for more appreciation at work. Ironically some of these complaints come after some kind of big employee appreciation event.

It’s about time, I’ve been killing myself all year without even a thank you!

Just like a great Thanksgiving meal is nice, but not sufficient when it comes to letting your family know how grateful you are,  it’s hard for a grand gesture to make up for week after week of feeling over-pressured and undervalued.

When it comes to appreciation at work, what most organizations need is more people saying “thank you” more often.

If you’re familiar with the Gallup organization and its extensive research on employee engagement, you know they focus on a dozen key drivers of employee engagement, known as the Q12 survey.

Question 4 reads, “In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.

Why 7 days?

Because frequency matters.

It’s the cadence of positive reinforcement that creates a consistent dopamine response. People need to feel seen and appreciated regularly to feel valued.

You get more of what you regularly encourage and celebrate and less of what you ignore.

The Frustration is Real

And it’s not just front-line employees sharing their lack-of-appreciation-induced frustration. In fact, it’s one of the hottest topics in senior-level coaching conversations.

• “I just wish my boss would say thank you!”
• “We always talk about where we have to improve, I just wish we could take a breath and look at how far we’ve come.”
• “I just finished a big project, and my manager didn’t even acknowledge it before she dumped the next one in my lap.”
• “Arghh, I haven’t even spoken to my boss in a week, I’m not sure they even know what I’m doing.”
• “Our virtual one-on-ones are always about the work on my plate, never about what I’ve accomplished.”
• “I’ve worked for this guy for a year, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard what I’m doing well, only what I need to do better.”
• “My boss does great recognizing employees on the front line, but behind closed doors with his direct report team, it’s a whole other story. I don’t need much. Just a simple thank you would make a difference.”

How to Get Better at Consistent Employee Appreciation

1. Schedule time each week (or daily) for informal recognition
2. Keep track of who you’ve appreciated and how
3. Encourage others to notice and celebrate what’s working
4. Vary your celebration and employee recognition methods
5. Take an extra three seconds in your emails
6. Ask for feedback on how your appreciation is landing

Employee appreciation doesn’t need to take long. Imagine how many people you can appreciate in a block of just ten minutes on your calendar.

Here are a few practical habits that can help.

1. Schedule time each week (or daily) for informal employee appreciation

Some leaders I know make this the first task of the day, every day. It becomes automatic. Just like pouring that first cup of coffee.

Of course, when you begin your day with a bit of celebration, you feel better too.

If every day feels overwhelming, start with a slightly longer block one day a week. Schedule the finish by putting it on your calendar, as you would other meetings. If something comes up, don’t cancel it. Commit to rescheduling the time to keep your commitment to employee recognition.

2. Keep track of who you’ve appreciated and how

Giving yourself a micro-goal can make all the difference when it comes to employee appreciation.

If you have a large, or remote team, you might find it helpful to keep a list of your employees’ names on your desk and record each time you gave them appreciation or recognition that week.  When I’ve done this, I’ve often been surprised at who I’ve overlooked on any given week, and then make a deliberate effort to notice something important.

3. Make employee appreciation a team sport

The larger and more disbursed your team is, the more help you’re going to need. Set up systems and people to help you, even with your informal employee recognition. It doesn’t have to be a big formal process.

For example, each week, you might ask your direct reports to give you three people to call and thank them for their work. You don’t even need to know the whole story. You can just ask open-ended questions, such as…

• “Hey, I heard you did a great job on ______.
• Can you tell me more?
• I’d love to hear how you did that.
• What are you most proud of about this?
• What are you excited about next?

And of course, you don’t always need to be involved. Carve out time and encourage your team to appreciate and celebrate one another.

4. Vary your celebration and employee appreciation methods

When we teach communication, we talk about the importance of 5×5 communication. An important part of capturing people’s attention is mixing up the WAY you celebrate. Sure, thank you emails are always good. And a thank you email every few days certainly can’t hurt. But, imagine the power of mixing in a hand-written note, a video message, a haiku, a cup of coffee, or your manager as a surprise guest popping into your Zoom call, just to say thanks.

5. Take an extra three seconds in your emails

Every now and then I have a manager tell me, “yeah, I just tell my employees to not expect too many “pleases” or “thank yous” from me. We’re moving so fast I don’t have time for that.

Okay.  So I just timed it.

Here are appreciation phrases you can type in three seconds or less.

• Thank you.
• Great job.
• Much better.
• Significant improvement
• Getting closer.
• Excellent.
• Yes!
• Nice job.
• Perfect. Game on.

And here are a few that can be done in seven seconds or fewer.

• I appreciate your time.
• I know this isn’t easy. Thanks for the extra effort.
• I really appreciate the work you put into this.
• I’m impressed by the level of research you put into this.
• I know there’s a lot going on, thanks for making time for this, this weekend.

6. Ask for feedback on how your employee appreciation is landing

If you’re not sure how people on your team want to be recognized, ask them. No one will be offended if you set a clear intention to do this better. “It’s really important that you know how much I value you and your important contributions to the team. Beyond the usual that everyone wants (e.g. raises, bonuses, etc), what kind of recognition do you find most meaningful?

And don’t be surprised if you hear “Gosh, I just really like a sincere thank you.” If you hear that, keep those thank yous flowing.

Your turn.

We would love to hear from you. How do you ensure employee appreciation is a regular habit?

The post How to Be More Thankful for Your Team (Easy Employee Appreciation Ideas) appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

True gratitude begins with deep humility. It changes us.

True gratitude transforms our relationships. It changes the game.

Courtesies Aren’t Gratitude

And yet many leaders try to check the gratitude box with a “Thanks-for-passing-the-gravy” kind of gratitude.

• …thanks for this report
• …thanks for the update
• …thanks for coming to the meeting
• …thanks for returning my call

Those courtesies are important. We need them. But they aren’t gratitude.

Recognition Isn’t Gratitude

Many organizations also do a pretty good job with formal recognition — taking time to determine who deserves the plaque, the award, and a celebration. These ceremonies may come from a place of deep gratitude, but not necessarily. Often, they are based on numbers, rankings, or “it’s that time of year.” You won’t find gratitude in a spreadsheet or calendar.

True gratitude involves a deeper pause of thanksgiving. But many leaders, at every level of organizations, miss this vital pause.

Gratitude is missing when…

• an executive hears a presentation and immediately responds with questions, concerns, critiques and challenges, without a pause to consider the depth and breadth of work entailed, the long hours, and the creative thinking.
• a middle manager, frustrated in his current role, overlooks his long career of exciting challenges and developmental experiences.
• the team leader acknowledges the team’s steady progress, but fails to understand the deep personal sacrifices of her team.
• a team member resents the promotion of a coworker, and overlooks all the ways he has grown himself in the past year.

Thanks and recognition are about the receiver. As leaders, it is our job to say “thank you” and recognize good work.

But true gratitude is also about the giver. Genuine gratitude transforms your leadership.

An Inexhaustible Source of Leadership Gratitude

One source of gratitude that never runs dry is the recognition of choice.

People don’t have to follow you, don’t have to show up, and don’t have to bring their creativity or initiative.

They choose to.

Even your direct reports don’t have to follow your leadership. Every day people make a choice to be a part of your team. To contribute and engage. Or not. But it’s always their choice.

“Wait a minute,” you might say, “if they don’t do their job we can fire them.”

You’re right of course, but that’s their choice. True gratitude begins when you realize that everyone’s a volunteer. They choose:

• If they will be a part of your team.
• How they will show up.
• Whether to participate fully or phone it in.
• The level of effort they will give.
• How well they will perform their role.

When you embrace this fundamental truth – that everyone is a volunteer – it will change your leadership forever. Every action from every person on your team becomes a gift.

“Everyone is a Volunteer” David shares from a keynote stage

Every ounce of energy they spend on a project is a gift. Your leadership work shifts from force to invitation, from control to influence, from fear to gratitude. You won’t lead to wring out the worst, but to bring out the best.

Practical Ways to Practice True Gratitude

Cultivating gratitude will open daily opportunities to communicate your encouragement and genuinely thank people for their choices and contributions. Here are three suggestions to make the most of these moments.

1) Focus on the Person, Process, and Outcomes

There’s a big difference between gratitude for what a person does and the person themselves. Acknowledge the person, the process, and the outcome.

Person: Sometimes a simple, straightforward, “I appreciate you” are the most powerful words you can say.

Process: “I am so grateful for how you’re approaching this problem. I see how diligently you’re working.” It’s not always about the outcome.

If you’re familiar with how to Respond with Regard to fuel innovation and ideas, you’ll recognize the first step as gratitude for their process: “Thank you for thinking about how we can improve.”

Outcome: “You did it! I am so grateful for what you’ve accomplished here.” In our rush to the next goal, it’s easy to forget gratitude for the outcomes. Taking time to look people in the eye or send a hand-written note to communicate your gratitude will cement that achievement for you and your people.

2) Be Specific and What and Why

Even leaders who are good about expressing gratitude often focus on what they’re grateful for. But that’s only half of the story.

Karin shares ways to make recognition an everyday habit.

What they did, or are doing, is important. And, you’ll increase the value of your gratitude when you finish the story by sharing why it matters.

For example, “I’m grateful for the extra time you put in with that customer, or solving that patient’s complaint or resolving that our client’s issue. I saw the extra work and the customer called me and told me what a difference that made to them. Or the patient noted in her comments after she checked out how meaningful that was to her and her family and how much she appreciated it.”

3) Mix Up Silence and Growth

There are times when it makes sense to start a coaching conversation with gratitude.

For example, if someone’s bringing some unorthodox solutions that don’t make immediate sense to you, you can start with: “I am grateful for the work you’ve put in on this project and the creative solutions you’ve uncovered. And, I’d like to explore how you see these fitting into our strategic priorities.”

In the ensuing conversation, you might get insights into new creative approaches, or the team member might learn more about what matters most and how they can contribute.

But you want to be careful about always following up gratitude with growth opportunities. Too many “I’m grateful, and…” conversations will undermine your gratitude and make people feel like nothing they do is ever good enough.

Sometimes gratitude followed by silence is the most effective.

And so, we want to conclude with gratitude of our own.

We are grateful for you and your commitment to human-centered leadership. We see you try, learn, get up, and try again.

And with your consistent effort, you make a difference. To your people, to your community, and to the world.

Thank you.

And Dear Leader…if work without human-centered practical leadership training is getting a bit too edgy for your liking – or your strategies just aren’t working like you need them to – visit our Live (online or hybrid) Leadership Training page to learn how to build and sustain company-wide change.

You Might Also Enjoy:

• How to Make Better, Frequent Employee Recognition a Daily Habit
• Gratitude at Work: How to Cultivate a Grateful Culture (with video)
• Encouragement that Gets Results
• How to Respond To Employee’s Wacky Ideas (Tool & Video)

The post True Gratitude – More Than Pleasantries or Recognition appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Powerful Thank Yous

(00:00)
“The reason I’m writing is to say, thank you, thank you for bringing some light into my leadership management journey. I can’t say I’ve met anyone with your level of understanding for authentic, compassionate leadership. You made an impression and an impact on me. I was beginning to believe there were not people in our corporate world who could turn to others and be able to say I get it. You restored my hope truly. Thank you.”

(01:14)
So yeah, you get a note like that. Okay. I think I’m going to do this again tomorrow. I mean, I would anyway, but that’s the power of a thank you. And that is such a great, thank you. Note, it’s specific. What did I do? Why did it matter to her? So both types of specificity, what the person did, why it mattered, it’s relevant to the work it’s meaningful to me knowing that I’m trying to make an impact. So it’s a great example of encouragement, encouragement that gets, uh, produces more results and creates more engagement. And it’s the kind of encouragement that I would invite you to offer to your team members. So just a great example of a well done. Thank you and encouragement. And I wanted to share it because it was meaningful and it was relevant to the work we’re doing here. And it was incredibly meaningful to me personally.

(02:10)
And so that’s good for me, but now the pivot is what about you? Where can you be encouraging and thanking and energizing people, particularly if it’s been a minute, when things get busy, when things get stressful, when the world gets, you know, overwhelming, those are the times where can we take a deep breath, step back and recognize who is it that needs appreciation? Who is it that could use that, that encouraging note, maybe it’s handwritten. Maybe it’s a quick message about something that’s happening for them personally, a person, a pet, a project, something that’s going on in their life that you can recognize, acknowledge, encourage them, wish them well in it. There are so many opportunities for us to touch base as human beings, but that I was just struck by this note because it just reminded me the power of a good thank you and encouragement, and that we all need it.

(03:16)
We never outgrow our need for it. Your boss needs it. Your team needs it. If you have a significant other, they need it. Your children need it. We all need it. And so the first focus here is how can you be someone who is supplying that for other people? And yes, we also need it ourselves. And so to identify the people in your life who are the encouragers, there are people who are naturally wired for it. And you may have people who, you know, don’t go there as readily, but sometimes it’s okay to ask, say, Hey, you know, I’m really needing some encouragement right now. And I’m the world is looking over well, bigger or hard and listen, it would be helpful if you could tell me one thing that you really appreciate about how I’m approaching this X, Y, or Z, this relationship, this work, this project, this, whatever it is sometimes it’s okay to ask. And then there are the people who are more readily going to do it that we can connect with and go to.

(04:22)
So in previous episodes, we’ve talked about, as you are giving encouragement to make it specific, as we mentioned, what did they do? Why did it matter? Make it meaningful to the individual on the more meaningful, personal to them in the ways that are keyed into their interests? The things that actually mean something to them, the more powerful it’s going to be, and then relevant both to particularly in a work context, how they’re doing the work, not just the results, but also how they’re going about doing it, their relationships and so on. And that’s the kind of encouragement that’s going to be most effective for you as a leader. Now, I want to take a question that came in this week from a program that we’re doing leadership development program. And I thought this was an insightful question with regard to encouragement.

(05:41)
Answering questions really is one of my favorite things to do. And I would just love the opportunity to answer one of yours. So if you have a leadership or management-related question, you can send that to me. One of two ways you can click here and scroll down to the big orange button. Then click that button and record your question, or you can email it to me.  I look forward to answering your question in a future episode.

So today’s question, as I said, comes from a participant in one of our leadership development programs, and following the conversation around encouragement, they asked this, “I’ve got a team member who has not experienced any wins. W I N S wins in quite some time. They’re doing the right things. They’re a consistent performer, consistent contributor. They do a good job, but right now they’re a little crestfallen and I don’t want to encourage them with empty platitudes. There’s a balance between encouraging things that are real and those that are the empty platitudes. So what can I do? How can I encourage them? How can I give them that energy while recognizing that there haven’t been any wins lately? I don’t want it to be empty or fake.”

(07:06)
I just loved this question. It’s coming from a leader who obviously really cares and is in a good place in terms of wanting to support their people and keep them energized and motivated. So my thoughts on this start with the fact that yes, we have to acknowledge the reality that sometimes there aren’t “wins” and sometimes that’s because it didn’t work out the way we hoped other times. It’s because we’re doing something where there will be a capital W in time, but it can take a while. That’s where “thank you” comes in.

(07:41)
I watched the engineers and the people in the command center as the latest project was landed on Mars, where you see the result of all the different years and years of planning that goes into landing the newest Rover onto Mars and all the new technology that’s in it. And then recently they’ve done the helicopter launch. Well, those wins, there is the win of successfully landing it on the planet and it all works. And they get the first images back and the joy in their faces as they cheered was extraordinary. But think about how long that takes big WIN takes—there are going to be years and years that go by without a tangible win that you can wrap your hands around and say, “We did it!” Rather, it’s a very long series of smaller wins and activities that you need to acknowledge and to keep people going.

(09:46)
It’s like working on losing weight. You can be doing the exact same things that you’re doing the previous month, where it was just melting off. And then the next month you do those exact same things, and the scale doesn’t move at all. If the behaviors are the right behaviors to acknowledge, encourage people for doing what you know will work in time. So that’s one place to go is to acknowledge the behaviors, celebrate those. You get more of what you celebrate and encourage. Celebrate the things that are going to lead to success.

Next is to encourage people to share progress. If you’ve got project management updates naturally, or if you don’t, you have team huddles, share status updates–what’s good. What progress have you made? Where has the needle moved on something since the last time you were together?  Celebrate those moments, and again, acknowledge, “Hey, we’re a long way off from the ultimate thing, but this is progress and we need to ring the bell!”

Speaker 1: (10:42)
We need to cheer. We need to celebrate. I first learned this ring the bell, from author Jim Collins, who wrote Good to Great  and many other books. I also heard him speak, and he was talking about how Winston Churchill during World War II would make sure to have people ring the bells. And it was not that the war was won, but that there were moments of victory and “We’re still here” and “We’re still alive” and “We’re still getting it done.”  So take those moments, to ring the bell, to encourage people along the way to celebrate progress, even if it’s not attainment, and to celebrate the behaviors that make a difference when they’re the right behaviors over time, even if they’re going to take awhile. So I appreciate the leader who raised their hand and asked that question. And I look forward to answering your question in a future episode.

Until then remember the power of encouragement. Where can you be finding people, doing things that you need more of? Can you take a step back and acknowledge the effort, that contribution, the awesomeness that they’re bringing to it —whatever’s going to be resonant for them when you share it? Find someone to encourage this week and be the leader you’d want your boss to be.

The post The Power in a Powerful Thank You appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

In this episode, we unpack some of Dan’s recent and inspirational writing on gratitude, including the seven impossibilities of gratitude.

The next time you see red, look around for something to be grateful for.

Avoid These Barriers to Grateful

An Excerpt from Dan’s 7 Impossibilities of Gratitude

#1. Worry

You can’t worry and be grateful in the same moment.

Don’t worry about overcoming worry. Just notice and acknowledge benefit or advantage every day.

#2. Complaining

You can’t complain and practice gratitude with the same breath.

Tip: Breathe in deeply and breathe out “thank you” like a silent meditation.

#3. Anger

You can’t be grateful and angry at the same time.

About Dan Rockwell, Leadership Freak

Dan Rockwell – Leadership Freak – writes a daily leadership blog that is read on every country on Earth, except the Western Sahara.

Inc Magazine recognizes Dan as a top 50 leadership expert and top 100 leadership speaker. The American Management Association lists Dan as a top 30 leader in business.

Dan was brought up on a dairy farm in Central Maine where he learned to get his chores done. He currently lives in Central Pennsylvania with his high school sweetheart.

Dan expresses his passion for leadership and organizational development by giving presentations and coaching leaders.

See Also:

A Thanksgiving Challenge

How are You Going to Make it Through the 2020 Holidays (Jesse Lyn Stoner)

5 Ways to Show Gratitude to Your Employees (Cindy McGovern)

The post On Being Grateful: An Asking For a Friend Interview with Dan Rockwell appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

I try to give my team consistent appreciation. I always go out of my way to say thank you. But you know what? In two years, I’ve never received a single thank you from my boss. NOT ONE. I get that this is my job. But come on! I’ve led some big turnarounds here and made a real impact.

– “John,” Manufacturing Executive

Sadly, John is not alone. We’ve heard that lament so many times before.

Employees in every role long to be seen and know that you know they are making a difference.

When we ask these underappreciated “Johns” what kind of acknowledgment they most yearn for, the answer is radically simple:

“I just want a @#%@!% thank you.”

3 Ways to Get Better at Appreciation

If you’re reading this and think, “Yikes, that could be me” or “I probably don’t do enough” you’re not alone.  You might want to try these simple approaches to build a more deliberate appreciation strategy.

1. Involve your team.

When Karin was an HR Director at Verizon, her boss Gail had a brilliant approach to appreciation.

Each week on our staff calls she invited us to nominate someone in another department who had “saved the day” in a big way.

Maybe it was Tom in IT who rallied his team to get a project done in Herculean time. Or, Brian on the HR help desk who spent hours resolving an employee benefits issue.

She ordered mighty mouse statues with custom name plaques. Then, when we were together in our Manhattan headquarters for our staff meeting, we would take a break and all six of us would tromp around the building disrupting meetings and bursting into song, “Here you came to save the day,” as we excitedly handed them their mouse.

This ritual did all the things.

First, it had us on the constant lookout for people to appreciate. I know that focus upped my awareness which led to more informal “thank yous” than I might normally have remembered to do.

Second, we became known as a team that truly appreciated other departments. Which of course made them more eager to help us. You get more of what you encourage and celebrate and less of what you ignore.

Third, it had a remarkable teambuilding effect as we sang and laughed and ran around the building—in a world where we spent most of our lives in executive meetings conscious of our executive presence, this was a welcome relief and a reminder to not take ourselves too seriously.

And finally, we were role modeling what we wanted more of in the organization. An HR commercial per se of the positive impact of more appreciation in the culture.

In our final staff meeting before Gail retired, she gave each of us our own mighty mouse statue and shared specifically why she appreciated each of us. Not a dry eye in the room.

I still have my meaningful, mighty mouse displayed on my bookshelf.

Or Keep It Simple

Of course,  it doesn’t have to be as dramatic as statues and songs.

We have a senior leader client who has upped his appreciation game by asking each member of his team to give him two people to appreciate each week. Then, he carves out an hour every Friday to make appreciation phone calls and send thank you emails.

He shared:

When I reach out to provide appreciation, I’m very deliberate about who told me about the good thing we appreciate. The appreciation is really coming from the person who lifted it up, and I’m just the conduit.  I also think doing it on a Friday has a nice impact, so they head into the weekend feeling good.

2. Make a weekly plan.

Another approach to better and more consistent appreciation is to make a weekly plan.

When we find managers in our leadership training programs that wrestle with consistent appreciation, we share this simple tool.

Note: you can download this fillable PDF Appreciation Planner here.

Each week, you can think about three people that you could appreciate. They could be peers, direct reports, even your boss. Then, you make a plan for why you are grateful for their contribution and how you could appreciate them in a meaningful way.

If you save the plan each week, you can ensure you’re spreading your acknowledgment around and not inadvertently overlooking anyone.

3. Leverage the element of surprise.

The other day, we had a virtual coffee meeting scheduled with one of our clients. The doorbell rang. There was a delivery of a wonderful box of fancy pastries followed by some beautiful flowers along with this sentiment …

Well, if you had been here with me in Seattle, I would surely have bought you a cup of coffee to thank you for all the work you’ve been doing with us on Courageous Cultures.

We so appreciated the appreciation!

Your Turn:

We’d love to hear your best practices. How do you ensure your appreciation is having an impact?

See also: How to get great at recognition event if it’s not in your DNA.

The post How to Give Better, Consistent Appreciation appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

WHY GRATITUDE IS IMPORTANT

Skip Prichard of Leadership Insights  shares three steps to boost your thanksgiving quotient and 17 different benefits for a spirit of gratitude. Gratitude is one of the best ways to increase your success in the coming year. Follow Skip.

Tanveer Naseer of Tanveer Naseer Leadership gives us a look at how expressing gratitude can help leaders bring out the best in those they lead and drive their organizations to succeed. Follow Tanveer.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING GRATEFUL FOR PEOPLE

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” A.A. Milne

John Hunter of Curious Cat Management Improvement is thankful for the insight provided by his father on how to provide value through your work.  He says, “It seems to me we often neglect to appreciate how important it is for people to take pride in their work.  He gave me an early appreciation that while there are many factors influencing our decisions as we proceed through our careers, it is critical to do work that you are proud of.” Follow John.

Rachel Blakely of Patriot Software reminds us that during the holiday season and beyond, it’s important to step back and think about what you’re grateful for in your business. This year, let your customers know you’re thankful for them with these five tips.  Follow Rachel.

Shelley Row of Shelley Row Associates recounts when a plane full of passengers erupted in appreciative applause.  Follow Shelley

Paula Kiger of Big Green Pen mentions thanks for the teachers in our lives, including people who “taught” us outside the classroom. They appreciate hearing our expressions of gratitude, even if quite a bit of time has elapsed. This is a note she wrote to a teacher decades after a meaningful incident. Follow Paula.

Chery Gegelman of Simply Understanding shares five reasons thankfulness is more than child’s play. Follow Chery.

APPROACHES FOR BEING MORE GRATEFUL

“This a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” Maya Angelou

According to Sean Glaze of Great Results Teambuilding, a constant focus on what is missing, what needs to get better, where the flaws are, can turn aspirations into frustrations. As a coach,  manager, principal, or leader in any arena, rather than seeing the hole, we should step back more often to appreciate the doughnut. We should find things to be grateful for. In just five minutes over seven days, you can completely change your focus and impact. Follow Sean.

According to Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership, Gratitude is good for you, but an “attitude of gratitude is not enough. You get maximum benefits if you spread it around.  Follow Wally.

In the post, Making Thanksgiving a Leadership Skill, Robyn McLeod of Thoughtful Leaders Blog shares that we can reap greater benefits by making “giving thanks” a year-round leadership practice.  Follow Robyn.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward

David Grossman of The Grossman Group shares his Thanksgiving tradition: Grandma Elsie’s Chiffon Pie– and celebrates her generous spirit every holiday season. Follow David.

Chip Bell of Chip Bell Group is grateful for PASSION!! Without it, life would become plain vanilla, greatness would become mediocrity, and commitment would become complacency. In the words of English novelist E.M. Forster, “One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.” Follow Chip.

According to Michelle Cubas, CPCC, ACC, of Positive Potentials, LLC,  gratitude is a state of mind when you allow it to be. Gratitude is not a natural state. Consider two toddlers in the same room with a fistful of goodies. Often, they will want what the other one has too! This description derives from a selfish desire for survival that is hard-wired into us. We must make a choice for a different state of mind.  Follow Michelle.

“The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” William James

Ken Downer of Rapid Start Leadership shares: An attitude of gratitude can provide lots of benefits, like increased happiness, improved health, and even a better night’s sleep. Here are eight things you can do today to make life better, both for you, and those around you, by focusing on what you have, instead of what you don’t. Follow Ken

Beth Beutler of H.O.P.E. Unlimited suggests that a good mindset about giving/receiving revolves around forgetting what you give and remembering what you receive.  Follow Beth.

WHAT TO DO WHEN IT’S HARD

Jesse Stoner of Seapoint Center for Collaborative Leadership reminds us that the holiday season can be difficult for many people, but it’s still possible to feel joy and gratitude in stressful times… which is good for your physical and mental health. She gives us three steps to access gratitude when you’re feeling stressed. Follow Jesse.

Eileen McDargh of The Energizer asks, “Do you ever have a moment when the world feels upside down and you are stressed or sick?” Eileen shares how the little things in life can give us pleasure even when we’re under the weather!  Follow Eileen.

Chris Edmonds of Driving Results through Culture reminds us that while civility and respect is not demonstrated daily in many of our homes, neighborhoods, or workplaces, now is the time to begin being thankful and kind in every interaction. The choice is ours.  Follow Chris.

How about you? What are you most thankful for? How do you keep a grateful approach?

The post Gratitude and Appreciation: A November Frontline Festival appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Have you ever met a truly humble person– someone whose entire life is a sacrificial commitment to a cause they deeply believe in? As I spoke with Sister Louise in Thailand about her 50-year commitment to helping women and children out of extreme poverty and danger, I was blown away by her selfless mission and her lessons in gratitude.

Although she’s Catholic, her focus is not about a conversion of her 95% Buddhist community–it’s about “saving (with a little “s”) lost sheep.”

She just wants to give as many women and children as possible a shot at an empowered life.

And she and her teams are transforming lives. She’s Winning more Well than I could ever hope to.

I’m pretty sure that’s why I’m so haunted by the story she shared when I asked her what was the most challenging part of her work.

She didn’t miss a beat. And her answer surprised me.

There Was This One Time: A Matter of Gratitude

There was a woman who had come to us for help many times. We worked with her on skills like hairdressing and sewing, but she struggled. She would give up, quit, and then come back.

Several times we just gave her money to get her out of a jam. We didn’t give up.

And then one day after being gone for quite a while, she came back to us and she proudly showed me a stack of money she had earned.

Relieved, I said “Oh you must be so grateful for this blessing.”

And then she screamed at me, “THANKFUL? BLESSING?  I DID THIS ALL BY MYSELF!!!! She had no gratitude for the blessings.

Sister Louise looked at me with tears in her eyes, “Can you imagine? How could she not see all the people who had worked so hard to help her? To be grateful to those who didn’t give up?”

Sister Louise had no expectations that this sheep would believe in God, but held out hope for a little gratitude for the work of his “hands and feet” in the form of her volunteers.

And there she stood, arguably the most humble human I’ve ever met– dumbfounded by the lack of a simple expression of gratitude.

Everyone needs to hear that they are making a difference.

Who Do You Need to Thank?

When we’re working really hard, it’s so easy to delude ourselves into thinking we did it all by ourselves.

I hear it all the time “I EARNED this promotion.” “I WORKED MY BUTT off to get here.”

I’ll admit. I’ve said those words.

But the truth is, none of us got here on our own– no matter how hard we worked.

There are managers and teachers and parents and peers who all helped in some way. There’s even the boss you hated, that finally convinced you that you weren’t as strong as you thought you were…and you worked harder to prove her wrong.

Who helped you today? Last week? Last quarter?

Who had an INSPIRE conversation that made an impact? Who helped become more confident? Who consistently takes the time to sweat the small stuff so you don’t have to?

What if you stopped right now and said thank you?

For more about our trip to Southeast Asia and our Winning Wells Initiative. See our celebration of 100 Winning Wells.

The post Gratitude: Before You Forget, Stop and Do This Now appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

As we approach Thanksgiving in the United States, during a time of unrest for much of America, I invite you to take a deep breath and reflect. What are you most grateful for at work? And if your answer is a who, why not take a moment to tell them?

• Who has inspired you to be more than you ever thought possible?
• What challenges have you faced that transformed you in ways you never dreamed of?
• What have you been able to contribute that’s made an impact you’re proud of?
• What opportunities have you been given to stretch and grow?
• Who pushed you past your comfort zone?
• Who are your key collaborators and what do you most appreciate about their approach?

Thanks to Joy and Tom Guthrie of Vizwerx Group for the great pic and to all our contributors! Next month’s Frontline Festival is all about preparing your team for the new year.   Submit your blog posts and answers related to this question: What are you doing to prepare your team for 2017? here!

Now on to our festival of thankfulness:

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Dr. Artika Tyner of the Planting People. Growing Justice Institute believes gratitude will determine your organization’s altitude. She is thankful for receiving the blessing of the vision for Planting People Growing Justice, their team of visionary leaders, and the thousands of community members who are advancing the shared vision of #LeadershipforSocialJustice. Follow Artika.

Shelley Row of Shelley Row Associates is thankful for the opportunity to get to know and learn from a wide variety of people. Because she work with many different groups and she interviews them in advance, she learns about their industry and she learns leadership and management tips.  It’s a great way to stay fresh and interested in others. Follow Shelley

Beth Beutler of H.O.P.E. Unlimited is thankful for a successful first full year completely on her own in business, the freedom and flexibility owning a business offers, and the consistent opportunity it affords to learn and grow as a leader and person. Follow Beth.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership is thankful for the amazing men and women who are his clients and who make it possible for him to make a living doing something he loves to do. Follow Wally.

Michelle Cubas, CPCC, ACC, of Positive Potentials, LLC says that “In a world of chaos, gratitude is my go-to place for comfort.” Follow Michelle.

David Dye of Trailblaze is thankful to work with amazing people to make the world a better place; to see people become their best version of themselves; to be around people – friends, colleagues, partners, encouragers. Follow David.

Chris Edmonds of Driving Results through Culture lists: business owners and leaders who engage in creating purposeful, positive, productive work cultures; my “business band,” the players of EXCEPTIONAL EXPERTISE & GRACE that help keep my brand crisp, clear, and relevant every day; my family and friends who laugh at my jokes, hug back, and push me to be better every day. Follow Chris.

David Grossman of The Grossman Group states that “2016 has been a year of growth and learning.”  He’s grateful for his clients who express a willingness to grow and go places they never thought possible; his amazing team who put their hearts, heads, and guts into their work every day and Thanksgiving tradition: the Annual Celebration of Grandma Elsie, Her Famous #PumpkinChiffonPie & Other Recipes Follow David.

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.
~ Oprah Winfrey

Chip Bell of the Chip Bell Group is grateful for:  1. Passion–a wonderful gift from the Almighty 2. Weaving Influence for making me look important  3. Granddaughters for reminding me what is important  Follow Chip.

John Hunter of Curious Cat Management Improvement  is thankful to be able to work remotely and make a living doing what he enjoys and believes provides value to his clients. Follow John.

Paula Kiger of Big Green Pen shares that having been forced by life events to be home with an elderly and infirm relative, she is thankful that our current professional world provides opportunities to work flexibly. She’s grateful that technology helps us do our work more quickly, with less error, and finally for the people who make the work worth doing! Follow Paula.

Lisa Kohn from Thoughtful Leaders Blog expresses her thanks for 1) Witnessing clients growing and evolving (and having fun along the way); 2) Learning from clients and colleagues and 3) getting to do what I love and absolutely believe in. Follow Lisa.

If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.
~ W. Clement Stone

Eileen McDargh of The Energizer shares “The first wealth is health. Love trumps hate. Meaningful work exudes gratitude.” Follow Eileen

The post Frontline Festival: Questions of Thanksgiving and Gratitude appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Next month, in celebration of the launch of the new Star Wars: the Force Awakens movie we’re going to give you two options. You’re welcome to submit your “best of” post of 2015. Or, if you want to try something a bit more edgy, try writing a Star Wars Inspired Post. Please submit your links here.

A Parade of Gratitude

Beth Beutler of H.O.P.E. Unlimited shares how to write a thank you note they will thank YOU for. Follow Beth.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership reminds us that gratitude is good for you, but an attitude of gratitude is not enough. You get maximum benefits if you spread it around. Follow Wally.

Michelle Cubas, CPCC, ACC, of Positive Potentials, LLC reminds us that gratitude is a state of mind and encourages us to celebrate the energy of gratitude. So, how can we actively invoke gratitude? Follow Michelle.

Whether you lead a multinational company, a human-service nonprofit, a team of three engineers trying to solve a stubborn problem, are a parent, or a community volunteer, in your role as a leader you give and receive truly significant gifts nearly every day of the year. David Dye of Trailblaze  provides motivation, encouragement, and inspiration in this list of forty-five leadership gifts you can both give and receive. Follow David.

Henna Inam of Transformational Leadership says that gratitude is a leadership practice. Here are three benefits of gratitude in the workplace and five ways to practice so it becomes a mind-set that creates resilience, engagement, and productivity. Follow Henna.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. – John F. Kennedy

Barbara Kimmel of Trust Across America asks, “Do you want people to trust you?” A bit of gratitude never hurts!  Follow Barbara.

Terri Klass of Terri Klass Consulting advises that to inspire others and cultivate an environment of collaboration with both their teams and customers, honoring these four L’s of Leadership can be so impactful. One of the L’s is Love, demonstrating the power of showing appreciation and gratitude. When leaders show empathy and respect for each team member’s perspective, they are embodying the L of Love. Follow Terri. 

Robyn McLeod of Thoughtful Leaders Blog   presents “Making Thanksgiving a Leadership Skill” where she shares six meaningful tips for making Thanksgiving a year-round leadership practice and reaping greater benefits. Follow Robyn.

Michelle Pallas of MichellePallas.com says, “A smile changes everything. A thank you makes the connection. Your behavior changes the world. Lead On!” Follow Michelle.

According to LaRae Quy of Mental Toughness Center shares that mental toughness is how you manage your thoughts, behavior, and emotions in ways that will set you up for success and includes the powerful element of gratitude. Whether you’re investigating the activities of a foreign spy, trying to navigate the politics of your work environment, or starting a new business—mental toughness requires keeping in shape to meet the challenges you will be facing.  Follow LaRae.

Willy Steiner from Executive Coaching Concepts explains why gratitude is not just a way to be appreciative, but it’s good for us physically and emotionally as well. He also reflects on some simple techniques for taking advantage of these benefits on a regular basis, making being thankful a habit. Follow Willy.

John Stoker of Dialogue WORKS asks how we can put THANKS in our Thanksgiving, giving tips on how to be more thankful and help others in the process. Follow John.

Dr. Artika Tyner of the Planting People. Growing Justice Institute shares that gratitude is about expressing appreciation. Service provides an opportunity to express gratitude by giving back and making a difference. Follow Artika.

In Gratitude

This month, I’m deeply grateful for all of you in our LGL community, and for my amazing clients and team. It’s wonderful to work with kindred spirits, passionate about not only winning, but winning well– without crushing hearts and spirits in the process.

Thank you to Beth Beutler, my wonderful strategic assistant and a role model of confident humility. Megan Constantino, Becky Robinson and the team at Weaving Influence for their strategic and passionate approach to spreading my message around the world. My talented creative team at Red Jacket West, who say YES! to all my wild ideas and execute elegantly as we work to make real leadership development more accessible to those with smaller budgets. My Winning Well co-author and daily inspiration, David Dye, , and the wonderful team at the AMACOM who have made our book stronger while supporting us along the way. My wonderful family, and so many more on the extended LGL team.  Namaste and thank you.

The post Frontline Festival: Leaders Share about the Power of Gratitude appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.