The Power of Gratitude
Image courtesy of Pond5
Last fall, I was working with a client in a site strategy meeting. We were hyper-focused on dialing in on the key behavioral indicators (KBIs, observable, describable and measurable), that the site could focus on to deliver sustainable results with respect to their six key performance indicators (KPIs). The question I continually posed was what conditions we must create within the system to drive the desired behaviors. This was all with an understanding that in order to drive behaviors due to commitment, rather than compliance, we also needed to generate experiences that influence beliefs, which drive behaviors, that in turn produce results.
We went to the gemba – according to Ritsuo Shingo (deceased), “The place where the actual thing is happening” – a number of times, once where the exercise was for leadership, in teams of four, had to go to the assigned gemba and observe without talking for an entire hour. The purpose was to instill in their minds that the gemba was critically important to identifying what the desired behaviors should be.
After a break later in the day, I walked back to where I was positioned in the room, ready to get started on the next session of the strategy workshop, when I noticed a card on my laptop keyboard. I discreetly tucked it away, committed to read it when it would not be a distraction to the group. When I got back to the hotel, I opened the note. I won’t quote it verbatim, but it was a thank you note acknowledging that what we were doing, was what the site needed at that precise time, and gratitude for my passion, experience, and empathy as they worked through the challenges of approaching strategy in a new and different way.
I was deeply grateful for the note, and it struck a personal chord deep within me. I resolved that no matter what, I would strive to do my very best to do right by this astounding group of people. That note cemented in my psyche the desire to do my very best. Not that I was not trying already, but my desire not to disappoint, caused me to redouble my efforts. And such is the way with gratitude.
In an article I posted some time ago, I laid out four things necessary to make gratitude an effective part of who you are and how you influence results through others. I would like to share them once again below.
1. Frequency Is Critical
Show gratitude frequently. An organization I once worked for had an eCard system you could use to send an internal Thank-you. Some of these you could attach dollars to, but most were just a Thank-you and nothing more. The system kept track of all you send. In one year, I sent over 375 Thank you eCards. Some people think that excessive. I was actually told that I "abuse the system." However, I rarely had difficulty when I needed to ask someone for help on an urgent matter to take on an extra assignment. Somehow, what I had asked of them became a priority for them - for which I thanked them.
2. Be Specific
Be specific. You should always specifically state the behavior or task for which you are grateful. The system I used at the time required a maximum of 200 characters. This forced me to be brief and specific, so it was clear as to what I was grateful for. "Thanks for your help," does not cut it in my book. It is too general. If you state specifically what you are grateful for, you are more likely to have a positive impact. You are also more likely to get the same behavior you originally recognized when you ask for help again from that same individual.
3. Consistency Counts
Consistently following the first two rules help when you have to deliver an uncomfortable message. Face it; we live in the real world. From time to time, we need to coach others on what could have been done differently. These discussions are much easier to digest by those to whom we deliver the message when you have already established a pattern of gratitude. Explaining to someone how to change a behavior or activity to produce better results is much easier to accept if the bearer of the message is frequent and consistent in delivering messages of gratitude.
4. Spread the Cheer
Coach, invite and challenge others in your organization to do the same. Life is usually not made of step changes. As a matter of fact, step changes typically represent something bad that has happened in our lives. The positive things we see in our lives come from continual positive incremental change. If you work on developing an attitude and behaviors that reflect gratitude, others will notice. Of those others, some will adopt the same behaviors. Eventually you will have critical mass in your organization and voila! You have cultivated gratitude in the workplace.
Conclusion
I strive to be grateful to others as timely and as often as I can. I’m not perfect at it. I don’t expect anything in return but returns frequently come my way. I love the feeling of energy gratitude imbues within me. It helps me influence and lead with humility in a way that helps our organization and those that I help, get better all the time. Finally, it enables me to see the positive in life. Napolean Hill said in his book, Think and Grow Rich, that every failure has within it the seed of equivalent or greater success. We have to be in a state of gratitude to see that seed when adversity strikes.
The organization I spoke about at the beginning of this article is on a very positive trajectory as it relates to their journey of excellence. The person that gave me the note, sometime later, recommended a book, 365 Thank Yousv, which I also recommend for you to read. It illustrates the power that comes into one’s life when they abandon the toxicity of selfishness and turn to a life of gratitude.
A culture of gratitude is one that values the individual and values results. A culture of gratitude is more collaborative and more productive. A culture of gratitude has a higher probability it will resolve conflict and position itself on a more competitive footing. Does an attitude of gratitude help the bottom line?
Please help me understand where the downside is!
I very much appreciate you and the time you have taken to read this article. You can find more articles like this from me at https://www.legup.solutions/blog.
If you have thoughts on this or other topics regarding yours or your organization’s journey of excellence, feel free to continue the conversation on my Secret Sauce slack feed.
Originally published at https://www.legup.solutions on 07 MAY 2024