How often have you provided something to a co-worker or boss only to have them walk away without any acknowledgement of what you have given? How did that feel?
It feels AWFUL, right?
How often have you felt taken for granted at work? “Well, of course you’re going to provide me with this report, presentation, product. That’s your job, right?” Well, yes, it’s your job but you are not a robot! And neither is anyone else who works with you!
We are living, breathing human beings with feelings – a fact often unrecognized in demanding work environments. (See the recent kerfuffle about Amazon as example!)
More and more people are making the call to bring our hearts and souls back to the work place and using wonderful concepts like heart-centered leadership and authenticity – all of which are words and tools that I love and use.
From the heart-centered leadership realm, I found this word cloud. And I love it! But when I looked at it again, I noticed that as wonderful as this word cloud is, there is actually a word that I want to add. Gratitude. A culture of gratitude is one where people express and accept appreciation for the small things. And for the big things.
A culture of gratitude honors the doing that people are so busily engaged in.
Building a culture of gratitude starts with the small stuff of saying thank you.
Say thank you for work successfully done, or even efforts attempted. Before ripping someone a new one for something that may not be quite up to par, take a moment to thank them for their effort. It will make them much more able to receive the criticism.
Say thank you to the people who go the extra mile to clean up the break room. Say thank you for showing up at meetings, especially to those who showed up on time. It’s a small thing but it really goes a long way.
A culture of gratitude builds in things like employee appreciation days, unexpected treats “just because” for employees or co-workers, public acknowledgement of work well done – and not just those who competed and won for the big stuff, but of everyone. Thanking people means that you are recognizing their contributions, small and large. It means you’re paying attention too.
It seems like a small thing but it goes a long way.
Thanks for reading this!