Leadership Gratitude Is a Funny Thing. (#224)
The Confident Leader
BOOST YOUR LEADERSHIP IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
I’ve gotten hooked on a song recently by TobyMac: “Faithfully.” It’s a solemn song born out of challenges the artist experienced in his family life. One line stops me in my tracks every time.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
― William Arthur Ward (American author)
This Week’s Edition
During this season of Thanksgiving, how can leaders avoid taking what we have for granted?
Clarify Your Thinking
TobyMac is a prolific artist who is highly thought of by many. He’s had a storied career, and his lyrics always seem to be spot on. His “Faithfully” song has one of the most poignant lines I’ve heard in a while:
It’s been a long year; it almost took me down, I swear.
Life was so good; I’m not so sure we knew what we had.
This last line, “I’m not so sure we knew what we had,” speaks about how sometimes we, as humans, are only able to understand our full gratitude for something once we no longer have that thing.
When this happens, we wonder, “Did I take it for granted? Did I appreciate it enough while I had it?” Often, the answer is “no,” and we regret not being more grateful.
Old Thinking: Life was so good; I’m not so sure we knew what we had.
New Thinking: I desire to be a leader who is grateful for what I have today while I strive for what I want.
Thoughts Lead to Actions
Gratitude isn’t typically a task on the list of things to do for the day, and this oversight causes leaders to miss the significant benefit of gratitude.
Leaders who practice gratitude experience less depression, increased feelings of vitality and optimism, and improved well-being. Gratitude produces happiness too.
For employees, when they know their boss is genuinely grateful for them, it boosts their morale, motivation, job satisfaction, and overall productivity, leading to a more positive work environment, increased engagement, and higher loyalty to the company.
Employees who feel appreciated are more likely to take ownership of their tasks and responsibilities, resulting in better outcomes and a more efficient workflow.
The problem is that 61% of employees say they do not receive regular appreciation (display of gratitude) from their supervisors. This is an action problem. How can leaders experience gratitude and show it to their employees?
Step 1: Discover your gratitude.
- Each morning, write three things for which you are grateful.
- Use the Five Minute Journal and its daily gratitude prompts.
Step 2: Share your gratitude.
- Tell someone the things for which you are grateful.
- Be creative. Write a note. Open a meeting with your declaration.
Step 3: Reflect on your day.
- Spend five minutes each evening identifying those things for which you have gratitude.
- End your day with gratitude vs. anxiety for the coming day.
This exercise seems trivial on its face, but we’ve been recommending this to leaders for years. They report drastic changes in their mood and attitude. Their team members recognize a marked change in them, wondering what they are doing differently. Try it. What do you have to lose?
Boost Your Performance
What’s Your Opinion?
For what are you grateful? Share it with me at robin.pou@robinpou.com
If you are going to be a leader, you might as well be a good one. Don’t let doubt count you out. Have a confident week!
Robin Pou, Chief Advisor and Strategist
We live to make bad leadership extinct so forward this newsletter to others who strive to be confident leaders.
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What is “The Confident Leader”?
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I began a video series called “Panic or Plan?” It was designed to equip leaders to navigate the doubt they experienced and to rise in the confidence they needed to lead during turbulent times. It took off. I then started this newsletter to equip leaders in the same fashion each week for the doubt that crashes across the bow of their leaderSHIP.
