Leadership Thought #56
Gratitude #3
Knowing the benefits of gratitude as leaders, for us to gain from that benefit we must make gratitude a priority in our practice of leadership, whatever context we lead in.
Just like any other initiative, encouraging more gratitude at work is prone to fail if we just go through the motions. Our expression of gratitude and our encouragement of expressions of gratitude need to be authentic, consistent and impactful.
Here are 4 suggestions of how we can do that.
1. Be grateful for people, not performance.
Be careful that gratitude initiatives don't feel like reheated old recognition programs! To avoid this, focus on social worth, making people feel valued and think about how people have made a difference or had an impact. Give thanks for people’s willingness, enthusiasm, commitment, or efforts — not just their impact on the bottom line.
2. Customize your thanks-giving.
Think about how specific people like to be thanked and tailor your show of gratitude to make it meaningful to them.
A quick “Thanks, great work!” said in passing at a team meeting might be too general, if intended to be your primary acknowledgement of an employee who went the extra mile for months to meet an important project deadline. Consider what would mean the most to the recipient and show thoughtfulness in your approach.
3. Be specific in your gratitude.
Saying “Thanks for being so awesome yesterday!” doesn’t have the same impact as “Thank you for getting to the meeting 5 minutes early to set up the screen-share; I know that our meetings wouldn’t go as smoothly if we didn’t have you working behind the scenes.”
4. Don’t fake it.
Authentic leadership and showing vulnerability are key parts of gratitude in leadership. If you can’t think of anything you’re truly grateful for, don’t try to fake it. Most people can tell when an expression of thanks isn’t heartfelt, and expressing an insincere gratitude is probably worse than showing none at all.
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