The Gift of Gratitude
FountainBlue's November 3 Front Line Managers Online program was on the topic of 'The Gift of Gratitude'. Please join me in thanking our panelists.
It was inspiring and humbling to facilitate a panel of diverse leaders as they authentically shared their wisdom and advice on how to embrace gratitude as a gift.
Below is a compilation of their best practices.
Choose Gratitude
Celebrate the little things, the big things, everything
Do the little things that can make a big difference
Make gratitude a conscious choice
More personal messages in emails
Make time each day to adopt a grateful mindset
Continue showing appreciation for all those who have opened doors for you or shined the light for you
Be Open and Welcoming
Celebrate our differences
Share with authenticity
Listen with empathy
Value the process of coming together
Gratitude + Vulnerability = many-x Culture improvement and many-x business results
Cherish Relationships
Make people feel heard and welcome
Express appreciation to others regularly, being specific and clear about the value of what someone said or did
Practice forgiveness and grace
Make opportunities for people to come together and connect, in community
Practice Emotional Intelligence
Practice acceptance of what life has to bring
Adopt a neutral rather than an 'up' or a 'down' energy, so that you are more open and receptive and less likely to overpower others
Know your own buttons and manage them so that you don't over-emote, making it difficult to manage yourself and the situation
Pause and think
Practice change in incremental steps rather than insisting on instant, large-scale progress
Do what it takes to activate your gratitude
Be vulnerable when you’re trying to be grateful
See 'course corrections' as opportunities for growth and view them with gratitude
What are strategies for framing gratitude as a gift when it's difficult to do so?
Introduce them to positive others
Stop and pivot
Shift the mindset
Change the subject
Embrace Authenticity
Practice Acceptance and Listening
Listen to understand, rather than listening to respond
Focus on the Core issue/problem
Accept that it’s ok/they're OK
Tell a story of how you experienced something similar to what they're going through
Don’t do the quick fix for the other person
Empathy
In closing, our panelists confirmed that if we consciously adopt a grateful mindset, we can express gratitude and deliver business and personal results.