Last week at Thanksgiving my brother-in-law brought up the tradition, and with groans of annoyance everyone slugged through. It was a tradition I started many years ago, and firmly believe in, but I haven’t brought it up for years. I haven’t had to. Someone else always has.
We go around the table and share what we’re thankful for. It is Thanksgiving after all. And I’ve found that thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation are incredible life skills…and leadership skills.
As Dan Rockwell shares in his blog, The Four Powers of Gratitude, gratitude gives us freedom to perform at our best and freedom to connect with others. True leadership skills. Gratitude allows us to not only bring out the best in ourselves, but to bring out the best in each other as well. I know I want to follow a leader who is performing at that level and modeling that behavior.
So use the Thanksgiving month as an excuse to list the things you’re thankful for. Perhaps include the tradition at your next family meal. And bring gratitude into your life (with a daily gratitude list), your organization, and your team.
How has gratitude helped you?
Please leave a comment to share.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For help in bringing gratitude into your life, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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