Let’s be honest. As a leader you are under a lot of pressure. You don’t have time to obsess over positive thinking because you are a leader and you want to get stuff done!
You’ve got goals to reach. Deadlines to meet. Teams to lead. People who expect a lot out of you. The pressure can be high and what does this gratitude have to do with leadership.
“It’s your job, just do it. I don’t have to thank you or show gratitude.”
How many of you feel this way? Constantly or maybe just occasionally.
Maybe you know someone who leads you and you can tell he or she feels this way. Could a little bit of gratitude help?
Research
I’m not going to nerd out on this, but I will share a study I found on the effects of gratitude on mental wellbeing.1 Without going into the details because you can read it yourself, the researchers found five minutes of gratitude meditation lowered heart rates and improved mental health.
Another research study took 300 mostly university students and divided them into three groups. All received counseling services, but only one was instructed to write a gratitude letter each week. After four to twelve weeks those writing the weekly gratitude letter reported significantly improved mental health.2
These two studies (and I’m sure there are more) show gratitude is beneficial. So, allow me to suggest a few ways to apply this to leadership.
Focus on the Opportunity
With every difficulty there is the possibility of an opportunity. Did you know during economic downturns companies such as General Electric, IBM, Disney and more were born?3 This means these leaders must have seen an opportunity amidst the difficulties in society at the time. What helped them see the opportunity?
A choice. They chose to look for the opportunity amidst the difficulty instead of focusing only on the problems around them. What we focus on expands so if we ask where are the opportunities and keep a posture of positive gratitude for what we have we will see possibilities amidst the problems.
Our Thinking Impacts Our Energy
“How we think we feel has a definite effect on how we actually feel physically.” Norman Vincent Peale
It’s been said there are no two good days in a leader’s life. Leaders deal with problems. Are we focusing on how we “have to” do something or do we shift to an attitude of gratitude saying we “get to” do it?
I was thinking about my day one morning and I made that simple shift. I get to . . . This simple shift not only impacted my mood, but also my physical energy. This is a choice we all can make every day. Try shifting from “have to” to “get to” and see what happens.
Gratitude Increases Morale
I hope you aren’t like me and naturally lean toward the critical side. I confess, I am very critical. I must choose to see the positive. When it comes to people I work alongside I find the more I express genuine and specific appreciation it strengthens our relationships and keeps morale high.
As the leader you can be a thermostat. Set the temperature by looking for ways to show gratitude to those you lead. It doesn’t have to be big, but it should always be authentic and as specific as possible. Try it for a week and see how the temperature of your team improves.
Which of these do you need to work on in the next twenty-four hours? Need a tool to assess the temperature of your team? Contact me to learn about The Maxwell Leadership Game which is a great tool to start creating an environment of gratitude. In the meantime, focus on what you are thankful for today. Lead Well.
© 2022 Wheeler Coaching Systems
