Unleashing Your Remarkable Potential
Issue 6.47 - November 23, 2009 ISSN: 15516571

In Kevin's Own Words

The 4 Fundamentals of Leadership Gratitude

Gratitude is a positive emotion and studies have shown it creates a more positive attitude, reduces stress and provides many other benefits. But, c'mon, we don't really need studies to tell us this, do we? You know how it feels when you are grateful.

This article won't restate the obvious (more than I already have). Instead, it explores the fundamentals of how leaders can transform genuine gratitude into a positive force for change and success for those you lead and in your organization in general.

Before I go on I must highlight a critical word in the previous sentence - genuine.

Please know that all the suggestions that follow will make a huge difference, but the difference will only be a positive one (for you and others) when your gratitude is genuine, authentic and heartfelt. Please read the rest of my suggestions, with this as a given.

In the end, I hope you see that gratitude is far from a soft, "nice to do" behavior. On the contrary, it is a real and important key to your success as a leader.

All the benefits start with the fundamentals.

The First Three Fundamentals

See it. As a leader, you have lots of things on your mind. In order to be grateful, you must first see or notice things for which to be grateful. Do you want to be grateful more often? Then set your mind on looking for things to be grateful for. Once you set your subconscious mind in motion, you will begin to find them more often.

Say it. Are you grateful or thankful for something someone did or is doing? Let them know! Once you have seen something you appreciate or are grateful for, let people know by telling them. And while you are at it, make your gratitude as specific as possible. It could be a simple thank you, but it also could lead to a habit of giving more positive feedback.

Write it. This could be in an email, but, even better in a handwritten note. Let people know what you saw, how it made you feel and why it is important. These words will be read, and likely read repeatedly, and the quite possibly shared with others. Most people I've ever asked tell me they have a file of letters and positive comments they've received from others. As a leader you will be adding to people's positive memories, and perhaps treasured files, with your words.

This is all good advice in any part of our lives, but as leaders, when we see, say and/or write our gratitude to others it makes a huge difference. As a leader, you have a special place in people's lives. Your words, opinions and actions matter. The gratitude you share in conversation or on paper could absolutely change someone's life.

The Final Fundamental - The Transformational Component

I started by stating that when we are grateful, good things happen for us. When we think about it from a leadership perspective, we realize the benefits are potentially much larger.

The final fundamental is to share it.

Gratitude is a viral emotion - meaning it's one that can spread quickly.

As a leader you are more than just carriers of any emotional contagion (positive or negative) - you can spread it much faster and much further than anyone else. When you share and role model your gratitude in the ways described above, you begin to positively change the culture and environment of the workplace.

The results of these changes can result in improved performance, improved teamwork, reduced stress, higher retention and much more.

Hopefully you see that being grateful is more than something you can or should do at the close of a big project or at a couple predefined times of the year. Rather, genuine gratitude is always appropriate and always in season.

Potential Pointer: As a leader, when you are genuinely grateful, you set a positive and lasting example by sharing that gratitude. That process of sharing will change productivity, results and, quite possibly, lives for the better.

Remarkable leaders know that gratitude matters. It's just one way giving better feedback and developing others. One of the ways leaders learn those skills is by participating in The Remarkable Leadership Learning System - a one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader. Get $748.25 worth of leadership development materials including two complimentary months of that unique system as part of Kevin's Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever today.

Comments

Kevin's Recommends

Knockout Entrepreneur
by George Foreman with Ken Abraham

I'm a sports fan, and I own a George Foreman grill. And, like many Americans, I've always liked George Foreman. He seems like a nice guy, and he has clearly succeeded in multiple arenas.

Given all that, I'm still not sure George's book ever would have made it to the top of my reading stack. However, after hearing George speak, my thinking changed. I wanted to read this book!

Knockout Entrepreneur is a book about George Foreman's experiences and advice for anyone wanting to be an Entrepreneur. It's an easy read, filled with stories and anecdotes - not just about George's life but about many other people as well.

One of the things I like most about this book is that my positive feelings for George have expanded after reading it. His likeability absolutely comes through the pages.

The book shares a wide range of advice and is written with a boxing theme throughout (for example the chapter about the importance of your colleagues, mentors and coaches is called "Listen to your Corner").

While it will never be mistaken for a book of thought leadership on entrepreneurship; it is very good at being what it is - the lessons and stories from a famous and very successful entrepreneur.

If you are an entrepreneur, or a budding one, looking for some inspiration and a positive role model, you could do far worse than George Foreman and this book. I enjoyed it and learned from it, and I am sure you will too.

Learn More and Purchase - Comments

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