Your day can be made much better when you choose to think selflessly and intentionally celebrate others. ~Hannah VanderWeide
I recently had the privilege of meeting Hannah, the young woman I quoted today. She’s in her mid 20s and spent some time traveling around the U.S. following her college graduation. (Her “gap year,” something my generation is still trying to comprehend.) During that time she blogged about her travels and concluded her journey with a list of about 20 things she learned. One of the 20 that especially stood out to me was this quote, “Your day can be made much better when you choose to think selflessly and intentionally celebrate others.”
I would say that “choosing to think selflessly and intentionally celebrate others” is a form of showing gratitude. Expressing gratitude more frequently is certainly a virtuous New Year’s resolution and one worthy of consideration for all leaders. If you think gratitude isn’t “leader-like” or a high priority given a leader’s precious time, here are a few individuals, in addition to myself, who beg to differ.
Author and consultant, Mark Sandborn, said “Expressions of gratitude—notes, gifts, words, acts of service, and the like—re-fill our tanks. I wonder how many leaders realize that gratitude builds their psychological and spiritual reserves.”
David Horsager, author of The Trust Edge, wrote on Forbes.com, “My own academic research on trust has revealed not only that gratitude makes a difference but that people don’t require big gestures, just heartfelt ones. Simple but genuine thank-yous or small, handwritten notes of appreciation can mean the world to people.”
Borrowing from Harvard Business Review and some of my own experience, here are three ways to show gratitude in 2016.
Send a specific handwritten thank you note. Two words here are especially important; hence, they are in italics: specific and handwritten. Handwritten notes take more time and effort; therefore, the act itself is more heartfelt than a quick email or text. Telling people specifically why you are grateful makes it genuine instead of generic.
Send something fun or personalized. What do they like? Maybe a book in their area of interest, tickets to a concert or event, gift certificate to a restaurant or coffee shop, or simply a card that was undoubtedly selected for them. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top, just show that you paid attention to who they are.
Tell them, specifically, why you are grateful. This gets back to being specific but instead of writing, walk down the hall or pick of the phone and actually tell them.
Unfortunately, we can all use a periodic reminder to show our gratitude, and the beginning of a new year is a great time to be reminded. HBR writer, Evan Baehr says, “Small, regular practices of gratitude can change your life—you’ll be healthier and sharper, as will those around you.”
Leaders: begin 2016 with expressions of gratitude!