When people feel grateful, they feel better. But gratitude is more than a good feeling: it has measurable benefits for just about every area of people’s lives. Grateful people become more aware of all the good around them—and of the good things that arise from others’ effort. Gratitude, in other words, helps people realize that they wouldn’t be where they are without the help of others. When an organization’s culture fosters this awareness, the result is a more effective, stronger, more resilient workplace with less turnover, greater innovation, and better results.
Model gratitude. Leaders should show their gratitude (and show others how to do so themselves) by saying “Thank you” regularly—in e-mail messages, texts, notes, conversations, etc. These displays of gratitude shouldn’t be attempts to show off or prove something; rather, they should express genuine appreciation for how others have helped them or the team.
Create space for gratitude in meetings. When meetings become sites where people share gratitude about their projects, accomplishments, or even failures, those spaces can help build a culture of gratitude. Making time to express gratitude a standing part of a meeting gives people the chance to share what they appreciate about others on the team.
Expect gratitude. To ensure that culture (“how we do things around here”) includes gratitude, sharing authentic gratitude should be expected of everyone—and encouraged and supported by leaders.
Make gratitude part of feedback. When leaders show gratitude as a part of regular one-on-one meetings with their team members, that can serve as a powerful reinforcement of the gratitude culture. By showing gratitude to their own bosses as well, leaders further model this behavior for their employees.
Teach and practice gratitude habits. Teaching people how to express more gratitude and encouraging them to practice those skills can help those behaviors become habits, thus cultivating a hardy culture of gratitude across the team, department, or organization.
Most people could benefit from more gratitude in their lives—both as givers and as recipients. Leaders can get the ball rolling today on spreading more gratitude throughout their organizations. By expressing their true appreciation at every opportunity, they can model gratitude for their teams—and start changing hearts and attitudes almost immediately.