Adding Gratitude to your Leadership Journey

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.”

Gladys Brown Stern

As I write this article, we are in “the holiday season” where many cultures and religions turn their attention toward a giving energy, often through gift giving.  I want to use this time to invite you all to consciously shift  your energy from last minute “to do’s” at work and at home ( if even for a moment), to offering the gift of gratitude.  In your work, who has helped you along the way?  What if you allocated even just a minute to pick up the phone (not email) or walk to their office and offer them thanks?  What difference could it make to you and to others?  If you are in a position of leadership and rank, your offering of gratitude to others can make a tremendous impact on your team and organization.  If you are blessed with a family, what if you were to pick just one family member and offer them thanks for the impact that they have had on you this past year?

In the spirit of gratitude, I invite you to do the following exercise to put your leadership into action:

1.  Get a blank sheet of paper.

2.  Divide your list into three columns.

3.  Label the three columns as follows:  “work”, “home” and “me”.

4.  List the top three things that you are grateful for in each of these categories.  These could be achievements, relationships, support or something else.  The “me” category is for you to acknowledge things that you did, or qualities that you have for which you are grateful.

5.  Once you have this list, who are the people that have supported you around each of these items?

6.  Go to the people who have made a positive impact on you in these categories in person or by phone and offer them your gratitude.  Do it right now if you can.

7.  You are offering a gift.  Give this gift with out expectations, contingencies, demands or requests.

Once you have completed this exercise, ask yourself, “How and where can I bring gratitude into my leadership practice?”

Remember, gratitude is a gift of great value.  It costs little, just some time and intention.  Yet the value and impact is tremendous.  Offering gratitude provides us an opportunity to press pause, mark a moment, remember, and honor the contributions that have been made to your life.

“When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.” ~Chinese Proverb

It is my absolute privilege to write for all of you who read these articles.   Thank you for taking the time to read and to share these articles with others.  I welcome your comments and experience of this article in the comment section, below.

Larysa Slobodian, MA

Principal Consultant, L4 Leadership LLC

To learn more about the author, please click on this link,Principal Consultant, Larysa Slobodian

4 Comments

  1. Lisa December 18, 2010 at 2:50 pm #

    It is the perfect time of year for giving thanks. Thank you for this wonderful reminder that the greatest gifts are free.

  2. S.S. December 20, 2010 at 2:50 pm #

    Thanks for the article. Point number 7 is key!

  3. Stacy December 20, 2010 at 6:05 pm #

    I particularly resonated with the quote you used: “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” …..definitely great to be reminded to voice all the gratitude I feel inside!!

  4. Ray C January 12, 2011 at 9:05 am #

    As usual…great article. Your articles often bring things back to the forefront that we know (or should know) are important, but for whatever reason, they seem to fall off. This article is timely for me! Thank you (and I will thank you in person)!!!

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