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.

I had an opportunity to interview Kerry Wekelo, author of Gratitude Infusion, during the vortex of the pandemic, for practical tips on cultivating gratitude at work.

My guess is that you might have missed this one. So, I’m sharing this short  Asking for a Friend conversation, along with a recent interview to hear her new insights about gratitude at work.

Practical Techniques to Cultivate More Gratitude at Work

As we celebrate our second Thanksgiving since the start of the pandemic, I asked Kerri for her latest insights about gratitude at work.

What practices or techniques from the book are your readers telling you have been most helpful?

Using gratitude in challenging people interactions. These four questions can help to resolve interpersonal conflicts quickly.

1. What are you grateful for about the person and this experience?
2. What have you contributed to the situation, and what would you have changed about your approach?
3. How did the situation make you feel?
4. How you like to move forward in a positive light, and what will you commit to going forward?

What is your best advice for helping leaders encourage a genuine culture of gratitude in their organizations or on their teams?

Be specific when sharing gratitude. Give examples of why you are grateful. For example, we give “Star Player” Awards and share why the winner was nominated. The write-up for a recent Star Player was as follows: “was nominated for his tenacity and creative approach to problem-solving, as well as his extra effort to get the project done on time.” Being specific about why you are grateful goes a very long way in making people feel appreciated and helps them realize all that they offer.

From your experience what causes gratitude to break down on teams?

Not having as a focus and only doing on occasion. Gratitude is best utilized on a regular basis to keep people motivated and appreciated.

Is there anything that has surprised you about gratitude this past year?

How often I go back to using gratitude when I am feeling out of sorts or going through a challenge. It is the quickest way to pivot my mental state.

Any creative advice for leaders who want to show genuine gratitude for their teams (and are looking to mix it up)?

If you want to encourage more gratitude at work, gather gratitude from multiple people on the team to share for special occasions. One example is to ask team members to say in one word why they are grateful for their teammate and then create a word cloud of all the words. I typically will send it out to the entire firm and then frame a copy to give to the receiver. Another example is creating video, audio, and word videos of gratitude. We have done this for anniversaries and also during the pandemic to showcase all our employees. Here are examples.

You might also enjoy my Asking For a Friend Interview with Dan Rockwell, Leadership Freak, about his practical approaches to gratitude at work.

Your turn.

What are your best practices for cultivating gratitude at work?

The post Gratitude at Work: How to Cultivate a Grateful Culture (with video) 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.

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.

Or _____________________ (it’s okay, let it out first). Life it tricky. Gratitude is never simple. The situation could always be better.

But this week, I encourage you to consider this question. What are you truly grateful for at work?

7 Reasons I’m Grateful at Work

First, let me start here (because sometimes people think this looks easy). Starting up a business is tricky, with ups and downs. I’ve got my fair share of the fill-in-the-blank concerns.

But I choose gratitude. Here are a few of mine.

I encourage you to play along and share your top 7 (or even one or two).

1. Partnership
   Hands down the magic of 2016 for which I’m most grateful is my expanded partnership with my co-author, David Dye.  Finding the right partner makes all the difference. If you don’t yet have a friend like this in your life, I encourage you to find someone who will challenge you, encourage you, tell you that you are wonderful, and help you work on your flaws. My biggest gratitude of 2016 is for this real deal partnership in work and in life.
2. Mistakes
   A few times, I’ve rolled the dice big and lost. I trusted the wrong people, bet on the wrong collaboration. And yet, I’m still grateful for playing full out. More bets have gone right than wrong. And now I’m entering the next phase a little more well informed.
3. Our Team
   This year we couldn’t have scaled the way we did without our amazing team. What I love best is how they work together, even when we’re off speaking or consulting… they’re holding down the fort and passionately working to advance the Winning Well mission. Beth, Vickie, Megan, Amy, Paul, Chris W, Chris H, Doug, Sean et al, and of course, Sebastian and countless others who’ve helped along the way. We are grateful for you.
4. Collaboration
   We have an army of kindred spirits whom we believe in and who believe in the work we do. I am deeply grateful for the leaders around the world we’ve had a pleasure to work with in their businesses or ours–speakers, consultants, journalists, bloggers, podcasters, family and friends who are doing all taking action to blend the bottom line with the human spirit.
5. Stretching
   First, I’m so grateful for the many folks who’ve worked to convince their bosses that Winning Well was right for their organizations. They bet on the ROI and it proved out. I’m also so grateful for the stretching you have caused me to do. “Can you do this?” “How can you challenge us in this way?” I continue to grow because of all of you.
6. Progress
   When David and I were writing Winning Well, this was our theme song. Inch by inch… row by row… it’s a constant reminder for both us (or at least one of us, reminding the other of us when we hit a setback). When we can be truly grateful for the milestones and the progress and enjoy the journey, it makes all the difference.
7. Learning
   Every time we do a program I have two emotions… How did we serve? And what could I do better? This year has been a tremendous journey of learning and improving. Which stories had the biggest impact? Which tools? Where should I have challenged more? I’m grateful for every single client with us along this journey.

Our recent Frontline Festival gave contributors a chance to give thanks.

The post 7 Reasons to Be A Little More Grateful At Work (Reflections and an Exercise) appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

True gratitude changes us.

True gratitude transforms our relationships.

True gratitude changes the game.

Courtesies Aren’t Gratitude

And yet, as leaders, we spend much time on “Thanks for passing the gravy” kind of thanks.

• …thanks for this report
• …thanks for the update
• …thanks for coming to work on time
• …thanks for returning my call
• …thanks for dinner

Those courtesies are important and necessary. But they are not gratitude.

Recognition Isn’t Gratitude

Most organizations also do a pretty good job with formal recognition— taking time to determine who deserves the plaque and celebration. These ceremonies can surely come from a place of deep gratitude, but not necessarily. Often, they are based on numbers and rankings. Gratitude doesn’t come from spreadsheets.

Gratitude involves a deeper pause of true thanksgiving. I see this missing at many levels in organizations.

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 is frustrated in his current role, but overlooks his long career of exciting challenges and developmental experiences.

a 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.

an employee didn’t receive the same tee-shirt as the guy in the next cube, and overlooks all the ways her family is benefiting from her job.

a volunteer feels slighted by a decision, and misses the magic of being part of something important in the community.

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

Gratitude is also about the giver. True gratitude will transform our leadership.

The post What Is Gratitude? appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

“I came home from college to find my room now had a crib with a new baby. My bed had been moved to the unfinished basement. The message was clear. I never came back, and my mom was fine with that. She moved on.”

His heartbreaking story stands in stark contrast to his life today. He’s an amazing guy with a cool wife, interesting and well-adjusted kids, and a successful business.

“To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has wings and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows much more about it than you do.”

~ Victor Hugo

His sad Thanksgiving story reads differently when you ask him for the other side. That narrative is a story of self-reliance, triumph, and gutsy determination. From that lens, his anger and resentment fueled his passion to build a great family and meaningful friendships. I don’t know his mom’s story, but it’s complex too. Narratives find gratitude in the midst of pain.

The True Story of Thanksgiving

All versions are true. All real. All powerful. We all have Thanksgiving chapters we would rather have skipped. Stories of pain. Stories of building fortitude.

The Thanksgiving

• after the diagnosis
• mid-divorce
• during the layoff
• in Iraq
• alone
• of the accident
• when you’re just not breaking through
• our kids were in trouble

Those stories have multiple narrations. It’s hard to feel the growing, when the growing is tough. But it’s there. Every member of your team has stories too, and interpretations.

I wish for you a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude in the midst of your complicated story. May your leadership have the patience to build on great stories. As you turn the page, consider the best narration for all involved.

Namaste.

The post The True Story Of Thanksgiving appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

How to Give Thanks and Praise

Frank Sonnenberg, Frank Sonnenberg Online, offers Ways to Say You Care There are many ways to say that you care. This free, downloadable poster provide some clever examples. Follow Frank @FSonnenberg.

Matt McWilliams, Life. Leadership. Love. Learned the Hard Way, brings us How to Write a Thank You Note  The title says it all. Some people are intimidated by writing great thank you notes…but Matt will show you how. In fact, Matt is offering a free ebook on Gratitude. Follow Matt @MattMcWilliams2.

Dan McCarthy, Great Leadership, shares 10 Questions and Answers for Managers about Praise  “Praise is one of the most misunderstood, powerful, and underutilized management skills. This post is a reenactment of an actual coaching conversation I had with a manager who sincerely wanted to learn how to praise but didn’t have a clue how to do it.” I love this practical and useful list. Follow Dan @greatleadership.

Tanveer Naseer, Tanveer Naseer Leadership brings us, How Two Simple Words Can Energize Your Team and Grow Your Business “Research has shown that expressing gratitude is not only a nice thing to do, but that it can fuel employee motivation and drive organizational growth.” Follow Tanveer @TanveerNaseer.

New to the festival Julie Pierce, Empowered by Pierce, offers  5 Simple Ways to Thank Your Team People are blown away by simple expressions of praise, affirmation and gratitude. This post offers five simple ways to thank your hard-working team. Follow Julie @julie_pierce

David Dye, Trailblaze, brings us, Do They Know? If you lead to bring out the best (not wring out the worst), David suggests that everyone is a volunteer and everything your team does is a gift to be received with gratitude. Follow David @davidmdye.

The State of Gratitude

Wally Bock, Three Star Leadership, brings us Say “Thank-you” Gratitude is the secret of a happy life. Follow Wally @Wally Bock

Joy and Tom Guthrie, Vizwerx Group, LLC share their wonderful strategic art (right).

Greg Marcus, The Idol Buster shares Be Grateful for the Good and the Bad  Gratitude in times of trouble brings strength, and puts energy towards the solution. I enjoyed the powerful and poignant stories he shares. Follow Greg @gregmarcus2.

Mike Henry Sr, of Lead Change Group offers Gratitude for Weakness Four ideas about how weaknesses make me humble and a better team member. Mike shares a beautiful exercise worth trying this Thanksgiving. Follow Mike @mikehenrysr

Lisa Kohn, of Thoughtful Leaders Blog, brings us I don’t have to be grateful after today…do I? “Drivenness can work against us, where nothing is quite good enough and we’re never satisfied. Lisa offers thoughts and ideas for keeping the Thanks-giving spirit alive even after the holiday is over. Follow Lisa @ThoughtfulLdrs.

Carrie Koens, Carrie’s Busy Nothings, shares Three Years of Thankfulness  “Looking back over 3 years of daily thankfulness, and how it has changed my outlook and my life.” I invited Carrie to join this festival because I’m always inspired by how she shares her gratitude, daily, through social media. Follow Carrie @CGKoens.

Alli Polin, Break the Frame, shares  Ditch the Stress; Choose Gratitude  She shares how 5 minutes can change your frame around gratitude. Follow Alli @AlliPolin

Also a new to the Festival, Regina Verow, Creatively Conscious, shares How To Change The World One Tiny Step At A Time She shares fantastic suggestions on how each us can make a real difference in the world, including “radical gratitude.” Follow Regina @reginaverow

Grateful For Work

Jennifer Miller, The People Equation, shares My At-Work Gratitude List This post puts a spin on the tried-and-true Gratitude List – by bringing it into the workplace. What are you grateful for at work? Follow Jennifer @JenniferVMiller

Julie Winkle Giulioni, Julie Winkle Giulioni, brings us Context Changes Everything This post starts with gratitude and moves on to discuss how when employees understand the bigger context of the workplace, it can change everything – from how they work to how they feel about their work. Follow Julie @julie_wg

Jon Mertz, Thin Difference, offers Democracy: 5 Ways You Can Make It More Meaningful  “Our democracy gives us so much to be grateful for and, in our gratitude, comes a responsibility to do more and participate in meaningful ways.” Follow Jon @ThinDifference

Family Inspired Stories of Gratitude

John Hunter, Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog, shares Respect for Everyone, inspired by his Father. “He made a big difference to people by improving the management system within which they worked, but what they remembered was the face to face respect he showed to everyone.” Follow John @curiouscat_com

Kimunya Mugo, Lead By Choice shares Gratitude – a Leader’s Hallmark At three o’clock in the morning, our 4 years old daughter called out, “Daddy, I want to go to the toilet!” I did my daddy duty… When I was done, she cheerily said to me, “Thank you daddy.” A wonderful reminder of the power of the simple acts of gratitude.  Follow Kimunya @KimunyaMugo

Bill Benoist, Leadership Heart Coaching, shares his poignant post Holidays and Family. “I like to keep these weekly posts about career and leadership, but sometimes we need to remember family too, especially around the holiday season. Not only remember our family, but the families of those we work with.” Follow Bill @leadershipheart

The December Frontline Festival is about Gifts and Giving (open to interpretation). Submissions due December 13th. Click here to submit your post.

The post Grateful For Gratitude: November Frontline Festival appeared first on Let's Grow Leaders.

Why Be Grateful?

The Pursuit of Peace: Thanksgiving as a Lifestyle by Andy Tix

Andy Tix shares the positive psychological benefits of gratitude and offers suggestions and examples

“A transformation often occurs when people learn to shift their thoughts from negative to thanksgiving.”

A Slice of Gratitude, by Ryan Setter

Ryan shares how gratitude can be “life changing”

It’s possible for an individual to have spiraled downward into a depression due to a serious lack of appreciation and gratitude. In fact, it’s quite common, and can be quite devastating. Recognizing and being truly grateful for an individuals’ strengths, talents and contributions is sometimes all that it takes to set someone on an upwards path simply by feeling appreciated, feeling that they matter. When someone knows that what they do is important it can be life-changing.

Personal Stories of Gratitude

 A Persistent Feeling of Frailty, By Dan Rockwell

A poignant post by Dan Rockwell, he shares reflections from a year after his serious accident.

“People did things for me that I couldn’t do for myself. I feel the frailty, even now. But there’s more. Gratitude persists. Compassion drips in the back of my mind.

Cancer, Abundance, and the Heart of True Thanksgiving, By Michele Cushatt

Michele Cushatt shares her journey through Cancer and the vital reminders of the power of true Thanksgiving.

“Because Thanksgiving, true Thanksgiving, is pulling up a chair to the table of your life as it is, even with all its struggle and imperfection, and choosing to close your eyes and savor its uncommon, undeserved abundance.”

How to Be Grateful

Thanksgiving: Gratitude Even For the Hard Stuff, By Randy Taran

Randy, shares some approaches for learning from life’s most challenging times.

It can take some time, acceptance and inner stillness to even ask these questions. When we’re caught in the escalating tornado of emotions, it’s hard to have perspective. But by looking back, everything becomes clearer. Clarity gives birth to peace. Another aspect is self-compassion. Consider replacing “If I had only ” with “I did my best under the circumstances.” That’s part of the lesson, too.

On Leadership and Expressing Gratitude, By Aditi Chopra

Aditi Chopra writes “Remember that people, who are constantly expressing gratitude to others, tend to be happier in life. And, it makes them someone worth following ” She shares a useful list of ways to express gratitude:

• One can express gratitude subtly by returning a favor.
• A more explicit way of expressing gratitude is to praise someone in public for what they did for you.
• Giving someone a thoughtful gift or a greeting card is another way to thank them. Putting some thought into what they would like as a gift works wonders.
• If someone has unconsciously been nice to you because of their very nature, don’t let that go unnoticed. Make sure to mention to them how much you appreciate their giving nature. More importantly, don’t abuse it by taking it for granted.
• If your mentor spends a lot of time with you in coaching, one way to thank them is by being mindful of how much and what you ask them. Being aware of how much time you ask them to spend with you, you are being respectful and grateful.

I am grateful for these inspiring thought leaders and the insights they offer.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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