How Expressing Gratitude Makes You a More Effective Leader

A literal pat on the back or a simple thank you might not seem like a big thing, but to employees who need a confidence boost – it can mean the world.

Because of their position, business leaders are looked up to by their employees. This means the way they treat them has an outsized impact. A kind word can have an employee on Cloud 9 for the entire day, while a harsh word can have them wanting to quit.

Clearly, if you’re a business leader, gratitude is a powerful tool in your toolkit. Articulating gratitude to your employees and others all year and feeding into a culture of gratitude at your company can improve your team’s performance and engagement while producing positive effects and feeding into overall positive results.

Below are just a few ways that expressing gratitude makes you a better leader.

Better Performance from Your Team

If you would like to lead a high-performing team, get in the habit of showing gratitude for the great work your people do. Studies have revealed a strong connection between employees’ performance and supervisors who regularly acknowledge the contributions of their team. In surveys, employees regularly report that increased recognition would motivate them to reliably deliver better performances. In fact, studies have also shown that gratitude is the biggest driver of exceptional performance.

Importantly, displays of gratitude work best when they are given in real-time. Attempt to catch people doing good things so you can provide them the praise they crave.

Higher Job Satisfaction

Workers who happen to be in a company culture that encourages expressions of gratitude report higher career satisfaction and overall happiness.

Business leaders can increase employee satisfaction by regularly articulating gratitude and encouraging others to think about what they appreciate.

A Cycle of Positivity

Gratitude can and should go viral, amplifying it across a company. This has the potential to positively have an impact on satisfaction up and down the organization.

When you sincerely convey gratitude to just one person or your team, you might set a positive feedback cycle in motion. Also, the more often you convey your gratitude, the more often you reinforce this potential cycle.

One deliberate way to encourage this culture of appreciation is to have a ‘gratitude bulletin board’ where staff members can post thank-you notes to co-workers. A different idea is to make time for public expressions of gratitude during employee meetings.

Better Results

In one workplace study from Deloitte, researchers discovered that businesses with well-established worker appreciation programs are 12 times more likely to have robust business outcomes. Unfortunately, only 20 percent of companies make the most of this benefit.

If your business doesn’t have a formal recognition program, there are straightforward and cost-effective approaches that lead to a culture of gratitude within your organization. Ideas include employee awards ceremonies and quarterly employee appreciation events.

Career Concepts Finds Employee That Are Easy to Appreciate

At Career Concepts, we specialize in finding top employees that our clients find easy to appreciate. Please contact us today to find out how we can help you find your next great employee.