This time of year, it’s not uncommon to hear “What are you thankful for?” or see expressions of gratitude on social media. While many of those responses are personal, having an attitude of gratitude can benefit your professional outlook as well.
Here’s how you can use an attitude of gratitude in your professional life.
Journaling
Focusing on the positives in one’s daily life is good for both mental and physical well-being. If you’re a regular follower, you know I’m a fan of journaling. There are lots of ways to journal gratitude. For example, you might make simple bullet lists of things you feel thankful for. Seeing those items in print and the act of writing them out helps you focus on the positives.
Giving praise
We all like to hear words of praise, right? “Good job,” or a simple “thank you,” can make a difference in someone’s day. That also means having an attitude of gratitude toward co-workers and employees!
A Gallup poll shows that employees are far more engaged when the manager focuses on their strengths. Engagement from employees can mean big benefits for business. Better morale leads to better productivity, and better productivity often leads to higher revenue.
Building rapport
We often hear about “Debbie Downers,” and we all have a colleague who tends to look at the glass half empty. A great deal of business is built on relationships. Your reputation will often precede you — do you want to be the professional known for bringing everyone down or the one with an attitude of gratitude lifting people up?
You can lift up yourself and others by having an attitude of gratitude. It’s not possible to be hateful and grateful at the same time.
Beware though, there’s a big difference between a positive outlook and seeing things through rose-colored glasses. Nevertheless, you can certainly be positive while still looking objectively and realistically at the situation at hand..
Expanding an attitude of gratitude
Here are some ways you can express your appreciation to staff and those surrounding your business.
- Personalized notes (especially thank you notes)
- A community bulletin board with pinned notes
- One-on-one feedback sessions
The big takeaway is that an attitude of gratitude helps you personally, but also professionally. It benefits those you work with, those you do business with, and even customers or clients!
How do you strive for an attitude of gratitude? Have you seen it make a difference in your daily life? What about in your professional life?