Five Tips for Leading Through Gratitude

It’s the month of Thanksgiving so with that in mind here is something that bears repeating. A leader who expresses gratitude toward a subordinate can increase confidence in ways that cannot be measured. Gratitude can wash away doubt and set people up for success.

Expressing gratitude is really the art of noticing — noticing what others do and how it helps you and your team. Leading with an attitude of gratitude, can build confidence in others, improve productivity, foster execution and develop positive relationships on a team.

Here are five tips for leading through gratitude.

  1. Combine gratitude and feedback. Providing team members with frequent, specific feedback is a critical teaching tool. Prefacing feedback with “I want to thank you for …” builds trust and camaraderie.
  2. Be specific and authentic. For gratitude to be believable and effective it needs to be true. Offer specific thanks, “Thank you for staying late every night this week to work on your free throws,” not “Thanks for working hard.”
  3. Make gratitude intentional and routine. Even if it’s not every day, take time regularly to reflect on team members and make a note of how that person has positively affected your team.
  4. Make gratitude either intimate or public but not casual. If you’re taking time to notice the good work your team is doing, don’t waste that effort with a casual “thank you.” Depending on the situation, either sit down and express your gratitude during a calm, private moment or make your “thank you” a moment of public acknowledgement in front of your team.
  5. Don’t forget about notes — handwritten, please. While e-mails and texts might be convenient, most are easily brushed aside. But the occasional handwritten note can make a big and lasting impression on team members.

There’s nothing wrong with pointing out areas in which people can improve but almost everyone prefers coaches who lead from a position of gratitude. After all, who likes to have their faults highlighted and strengths ignored?

--The Coaching and Leadership Journal, December 2012



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