Hi meaningful leader,
It’s great to see you again!
With the spirit of this past Thanksgiving Day celebration still fresh and because is probably one of the most importance practices a leader can embark on daily, for today’s article I want us to discuss the importance of gratitude in leadership.
Leadership is a living element. it’s something we have to practice and grow daily. Leadership can be demanding and it can test our character and ability to deal with challenges all the time. Yet, we cannot approach leadership solely as a task or job we do, because of the level of personal investment it requires.
Management focuses on processes and outcomes; number and budgets; KPIs and benchmarks. Leadership focuses solely on people. The burnout and anxiety some leaders experience shows up when these two roles are not clearly defined, understood and approached. These are two different hats we wear when were have the dual-role of managing a part or the whole of a business and we do so, by also leading a team.
With this little caveat out of the way, let’s discuss how gratitude can become a pivotal skill for meaningful leadership.
Let’s be honest…leading ourselves can be challenging and there are days in which we feel and act on point and days in which we could be and do better, yet we inevitably fall short. It happens to everyone….now multiply that to having to deal with the ups and downs of other people…leadership is definitely not for the faint of heart. Yet, having the privilege of guiding and leading others and doing so, by keeping their value front and center can be a life-changing experience.
As leaders, continuous improvement should be one of the pillars upon which we build on daily, but stopping often and looking at the progress (whether small or big) we’ve made with grateful eyes and a grateful heart and acknowledging the progress and the transformations is priceless. Gratitude moves mountains my friend. Starting every single day, acknowledging the fact that we are alive and that we are healthy enough to put another day of honest work forward is something we should celebrate daily, yet we tend to take these daily miracles for granted.
Taking things for granted starts to happen seamlessly as life starts to get busier. Things that used to be amazing and that we appreciated, become the norm with time and they start to lose their value, as they blur into the background of the new shiny thing. Yet, as leaders, intentionally grounding ourselves and really stopping and acknowledging the blessing we experience all around us, will support us with every single one of the interactions we have daily and offer us perspective when confronted with the challenges at hand.
Everyone in your team (including you) works for a paycheck, yet a thank you will have a more lasting and meaningful impact in someone’s life than the temporary acquisition power their hourly rate allows for, in a fleeting moment of time.
Saying thank you has a powerful effect. Of course we get paid for the work we do daily, but being seen, heard and acknowledge with gratitude and appreciation is what we all, as human beings, aim for.
I’m a number one fan of gratitude. I thank God the moment I open my eyes in the morning for allowing me another day and I thank Him for every meal I get to enjoy and the roof over my head and the family He’s blessed me with. I thank the people in my team for their effort, for the work ethic and for having my back. I thank my boss for his trust, support and guidance. I never hold on to a thank you I can give because I know how much positive impact it can have on the recipient and the world most definitely needs more grateful people.
Gratitude open the floodgates of abundance. Grateful leaders always lead from their overflow and it shows. Acknowledging the progress, working with expectation, investing in people, and working with passion and humbleness is what make a leader stand out from the rest. Nothing worth having will come easy, but expressing gratitude, even through a hardship is what develops the character and resilience true leaders are made of.
In case you need more arguments why gratitude should become your daily mantra…in the field of positive psychology, the experts state that happiness and joy in life are linked to our ability to express gratitude and keep a grateful heart. So why not make it your ritual from this day forward? What do you have to lose, aside from the anxiety and scarcity?
Grateful leaders shine with a different light and that light spread among their team. They work differently, interact differently, smile more and perform at a higher level…all because they know they are seen and appreciated and their efforts recognized and acknowledge.
If you made this far, thank you for reading, I hope this brought value to your day. If so, please like, comment and share with one person that can benefit from this content.
Have an amazing rest of your day and week my friend, and God bless,
Maria
