In today's monthly Reloveution Power Hour, we discussed the power question:
How can I show my team that they are appreciated and valued?
If you watch the full recording, you will learn about the seven attributes of effective gratitude--specificity, regularity and timeliness, authenticity, people-centeredness, personalization, systematization, and being tied to outcome and effort. You'll also learn about specific practices that you might incorporate to build a workplace culture where people feel truly valued.
Perhaps the hardest and most frequently forgotten of the seven attributes is non-attachment to outcome. A culture of appreciation and gratitude requires us to not only thank people and show appreciation when they succeed, accomplish something incredible, or go the extra mile. We also must show appreciation in the less sexy and obvious moments, and especially in moments when people fail or fall short of expectations.
Despite what many leaders believe, expressing gratitude does not excuse bad behavior or promote negative habits. Instead, it triggers "feel good" hormones that help the person in front of us feel more valued and open to feedback and shifting their behaviors. People need to know that they are appreciated in the moments when they make a mistake or are less than perfect. They need to feel cared for and supported when the succeed AND when they fail.
We have to look beyond outcomes and success and praise people for process and effort. That means thanking staff, colleagues, and even supervisors for things they do that are often not recognized. For example, you might express gratitude to somebody when they...
Work hard
Do their best
Pay attention to detail
Improve from one time or project to another
Successfully problem-solve
Work through challenging emotions
Show resilience during adversity
Learn from mistakes
Learn a new skill
Don't give up
Stay optimistic or positive even when things are stressful
Which of the above may be applicable for your staff, colleagues, or supervisors this week? Who hasn't received praise, appreciation, or recognition recently? How can you detach outcome from your own gratitude practices as a leader?
We invite you to reflect on these questions and take one tiny step this week to thank somebody for an action or behavior that has nothing to do with the outcome of that action. And then we'd love to hear from you about how it went and how it felt!
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If you would like to think about how to more intentionally incorporate gratitude in your workplace or show your team that they are valued, watch the full recording and/or book a connection call with us to learn how Reloveution can help!