EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS ENCOURAGE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE: WHY? HOW?
Do workplace appreciation and gratitude really create positive effects? You bet! There have been numerous studies on the relationship between gratitude and work engagement. Consider this study reported by Harvard Medical School and done by researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania:
“Researchers randomly divided university fund-raisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group—assigned to work on a different day—received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who told the fund-raisers she was grateful for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fund-raising calls than those who did not” (Read about the study here).
For those skeptics who still doubt, consider this:
When an employee believes his or her superiors are grateful for his or her work, the employee will benefit by having an improved sense of worth to the organization. This improved sense of worth can lead to performance improvement, thereby benefiting the organization. Further, the person expressing gratitude benefits from that expression, which also may positively impact the organization. For instance, research has shown that persons who are genuinely grateful may be more optimistic, experience improved health, and perhaps even have extended life spans. All of these benefits also potentially benefit the organization for which that person works (Read about the study here).
And here’s a bibliography packed with studies focusing on the Power of Workplace Gratitude.
So why are we harping on gratitude in this post? Because we are entering November, the month that celebrates gratitude — and in our opinion, there is enough research out there to support the need for leaders to develop skills in creating a work environment steeped in gratitude. In fact, we believe this so strongly, we’ve created a special Gratitude Calendar for Extraordinary Leaders to use during the month of November. It is our gift to you, in gratitude for the wonderful relationship we’ve built together! Use it for yourself and with your work teams. Get everyone involved, using it and then sharing in team meetings the experiences people have had. And watch how your team culture changes for the better, as you help everyone “Be Extraordinary!”
Here’s a link to download your own PDF copy of the 2016 Gratitude Calendar. Let us know what happens when you use it!
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