3 Ways to Develop a Gratitude Attitude in Your Business

How Do You Develop a Gratitude Attitude?

A gratitude attitude is the plaster that makes the wall look awesome. Chuckle, when my contractor worked on my office, I was amazed at how a little bit of plaster made the seams disappear. How can you develop a gratitude attitude?

The definition of gratitude is…

the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

So what does that have to do with business? Why do you need to develop gratitude in your business?

Value and Appreciation

Everyone has the innate desire to be appreciated and feel valued by others. We should cultivate in the workplace a culture of gratitude; expressing value and appreciation.

A few years ago I walked away from a major client. I loved the work that I did with the organization and they were my ideal client. The project was lucrative. Was I insane?

I walked away because after 4 years of working with this client I realized I was batting my head up against a wall. Although I tried to implement change, built systems that improved work flow, and had a great rapport with the team; at the end of the day I felt stressed and undervalued. I realized that no matter how hard I tried to adapt and change, the client could not change. I was going to have a nervous breakdown if I kept on the same path.

A survey was conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA). Among 1,714 adults aged 18+ who resided in the US more than half of those surveyed intended to search for new jobs because they felt under-appreciated and under-valued.

Jerry Bowyer wrote in his November, 2013 post To Grow In Business and in Life, Show Gratitude and Appreciation…

Ingratitude, I’d say, is the most common reason for entrepreneurial failure.

As entrepreneurs we often have well-defined goals, systems of accountability and clear roles and responsibilities. We expect all team members to be functioning at peak capacity all of the time. How can we improve and have team members who feel our gratitude and appreciation?

Involvement

I love my clients and take a holistic approach in serving them. We don’t just discuss business 24/7. Recently, I was sick over the weekend and on Monday morning one of my clients wrote me and asked me “What’s Up?” She had sensed that I was not 100% and wanted to make sure I was okay. Wow, that made my day.

Are you involved in the lives of your team members? Do you know about their lives, their struggles. Most of my clients have been with me for 5+ years. We have developed friendships and I can sense when they are struggling with things.

Several years ago I surprised my clients by sending them a special gift. I had discovered a fabulous nature photographer on a trip to Canada. I ordered 3 photographs from him and then I personally custom-framed the photographs for my main clients for Christmas. It was a labor of love and an expression of my gratitude for them being fabulous clients. It was fun talking with them afterwards and hearing where they planned to hang them.

Development

Do you give your team members the freedom to stretch and grow their talent? One of the reasons I love the work I do is because I am constantly being challenged to grow my skill set and keep abreast of current trends. Give your team members tasks that stretch them a little bit. Not something that is going to completely overwhelm but show them they can do it! Want to read more about stretching? I am reading Scott Sonenshein’s book “Stretch“. Check it out!

Maybe you have someone planning an event for you, stretch them by having them scout the facilities for you; bringing back a report of room size, setup options, sound equipment available, type of setting, menu items available, etc. Show them you have faith in their abilities to analyze and trust them to make excellent recommendations.

Recognition

Last, but not least, is to recognize your team members for a job well done. I love to hear “thank you” or even “that was great”. I have one client that excels at this. Every time she pays me she includes a handwritten little note saying “thank you” or words to that effect. It may seem really small to her but it let’s me know she appreciates and values what I do.

A gratitude attitude is the oil that keeps the gears smooth in action. We are all a cog in the wheel of business. We need to develop a gratitude attitude in business. Make sure you show gratitude to your team members. Send them an unexpected card just to say “Way to Go”, “Rock on”, or “You are Fabulous”. It will give them a warm feeling to know that you noticed and care enough to let them know.

Thank you for reading my blog! My purpose of writing it is to make you shine as a business owner. If something brought value to you, please let me know in the comments below.

Do you need a speaker at your next meeting that can highlight an attitude of gratitude for your audience? Find out more today.