When I was younger, my grandmother taught me the importance of saying “thank you.” She always waited for me to say “thank you,” driving the importance home. Learning those two simple words at a young age was so influential. Not only did they express gratitude, but they carried emotional and powerful weight as well.

As leaders, we are often looking ahead for a path, if you will, to get to our desired location. That location is synonymous with what our goal is: increase results, maximize productivity, expansion of marketing. As we navigate forward, our focus is typically on where we are going, how do we get there, what obstacles are in our way, the unknown, etc. We are so conditioned to look forward that we often neglect to look back. Looking back is paramount for leaders.

There are two words that encourage us to look back – “thank you.”

Stopping, pausing, pumping the breaks on progress to acknowledge that we would not be where we are now if it were not for our team, creates a generosity mindset. Being able to express gratitude generates generosity. Our teams utilize their time and talent to help us fulfill our mission, vision, and tasks. Our opportunity is right there in front of us – to say thank you. Show gratitude. Doing this – wholeheartedly – causes everything to win.

Your team is appreciated, and you need to show them that they are appreciated. Expressing this not only demonstrates the obvious (you are telling them that you value them), but also it creates a different approach on how you lead. Some may consider this to be challenging, but once you begin to lead this way and share gratitude effectively, you strengthen your team.

How do we do that in an effective manner? Part 2 is next week.

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