How to Cultivate a Culture of Gratitude

In the book The Happiness Advantage, author Shawn Acher highlights that happy employees “…have higher levels of productivity, produce higher sales, perform better in leadership positions, and receive higher performance ratings and higher pay.”

Wow. What leader wouldn’t want to have happy employees?

But it’s more than just having happy employees. It’s about happy people.

Various studies have confirmed the one key value that makes for the happiest people: Gratitude.

In organizations, leaders who cultivate a culture of gratitude create an environment for success at every level.

Cultivating a Culture of Gratitude

Creating a culture of gratitude is a leadership issue. It needs to be modeled, taught, acknowledged, and even rewarded.

Here are five ways leaders can cultivate a culture of gratitude.

1. Appreciate the little things. Major milestones you may be waiting for may never happen or it may be too late. Big results generally occur from the accumulation of a lot of consistent small steps. Appreciating the little things can make a big difference.
2. Celebrate what’s common. Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate the oddities of others. This is when it’s important to seek common ground, and celebrate it.
3. Rejoice over the obvious. Don’t wait for the unexpected or happy surprises. The best work often comes from doing what’s expected. Even if it sometimes seems boring, delighting over the obvious can having a lasting impact.
4. Praise positive growth. What people focus on gets attention. Expressions of gratitude focus energy on what matters most. Focusing on positive things ensures that’s what will grow.
5. Inspire at the right time. It’s easy to be thankful when things are going well. But during challenging times the need for recognition is vital. Inspiring with gratitude at just the right time can make the difference between success and failure.

This may all sound well and good. But what are some practical tips to help support a culture of gratitude? Here are a few that are easy for any leader to do.

15 Ways to Express Gratitude at Work

1. Let colleagues know the unique impact they have had on your life.
2. Write a thank you note to a new work colleague every day.
3. Offer to order dinner for a team of people working late.
4. Leave post-it notes with fun sayings where colleagues will find them.
5. Smile. A lot. To everyone you meet.
6. Ask a colleague who is dealing with a difficult situation how they are doing, and just listen.
7. Give away a favorite book to a colleague eager to learn, and explain the impact it’s had in your life.
8. Tell a colleague face to face how much they mean to you.
9. Take a group of work colleagues with you to buy some sandwiches and hand them out to the homeless.
10. Arrange a food drive at work and engage a group of colleagues to help donate the items to a local food pantry or soup kitchen.
11. Invite a colleague out for a coffee, with no agenda.
12. Share a personal experience with a work colleague that lets them know you are human too.
13. Open doors for others, and let them go first.
14. Give genuine compliments when you see a colleague doing something positive.
15. Donate a week of vacation time for a worthy cause, and invite other work colleagues to join you.

With any expression of gratitude, here’s the key to making a real impact: put a little thought and effort into it.