Are you a grateful person? So, do you show gratitude? Do you share gratitude with your co-workers and teammates or do you believe gratitude is overrated? Do you subscribe to the belief that people should be happy they have a job and just do it? So, why should leaders show gratitude? Because, leaders who show gratitude get more accomplished. Here are more good reasons.

Showing Gratitude to your team improves performance and production.

There are hundreds of studies on the positive impact of appreciation, recognition, and gratitude in the workplace. Employees who feel appreciated trust their leaders and corporate vision. Employees who trust their supervisors are happier, more focused on completing tasks, and aren’t in the job market. Here’s one example as reported by the Harvard Medical School on research completed at the University of Pennsylvania, “Researchers randomly divided university fund-raisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group—assigned to work on a different day—received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who told the fund-raisers she was grateful for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fund-raising calls than those who did not.” Leaders who show gratitude get more accomplished.

People who show gratitude are happier and healthier people.

Leaders who show gratitude sleep better and are healthier both physically and mentally. They build better working relationships with their team, and they feel better about themselves. So, would you like to read the studies? Forbes: 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Showing Gratitude that will Motivate you Year Round

How to Share Gratitude

  • Make gratitude part of your daily to-do list. Whether you construct your daily to-do list in the morning or evening, take a few minutes and list 1-3 people to thank each day.
  • Keep it simple. Platitudes and pizza parties are shallow if they’re not genuine. A simple thank you can mean more when it comes from a grateful leader who knows what the employee accomplished and tells them why he or she is grateful.
  • Be grateful for good character. Gratitude shouldn’t be limited to activities and results. Character should be recognized as well. Thanking someone for their dedication, hard work, perseverance, or dependability means a lot.
  • Make it personal. If an employee loves hearing about his or her accomplishments in front of their peers—make it so. If they prefer a simple note—make it happen.
  • Keep it real. By involving yourself with your team enough to know what they do, how they do it, and what it means. A carte blanche approach to thanking a team for a good job isn’t showing gratitude it’s playing politics. But to specifically thank individuals and the team for actions they took and share how their efforts impact the organization—that’s being grateful. And, leaders who show gratitude get more accomplished.
  • Get Specific. Why Recognition is Nice but Specific Recognition is a Game Changer

Leaders Who Show Gratitude and those Who Don’t 

I’ve worked with too many managers who seldom showed gratitude to their employees. I’ve watched managers walk through a department, day after day, without one word to the team. And, I’ve seen managers who believed the best way to motivate an employee was with a bonus or benefits. Bonuses and benefits are great, and they may help retain employees, but they don’t necessarily make them work harder, work smarter, or care more about the organization. Appreciation accomplishes that. Do you want your team to be more productive? Share your heartfelt gratitude. And if increases in production and improved personal health aren’t enough to convince you to share your gratitude, then consider this. It feels pretty damn good when you do it. Now go and tell someone how grateful you are for their work. Leaders who show gratitude get more accomplished.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a  management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash