Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results
Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton
HarperBusiness/An imprint of HarperCollins (March 2020)
How and why “putting gratitude at the center of everything you do is the key to a happy life”
I certainly agree with Marshall Goldsmith about the importance of gratitude. It is one of several keys that can “unlock” so many opportunities that might not otherwise be available.
Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton point out that they have devoted decades to teaching executives around the world hoe to be more effective, “and helping them learn tghe art of gratitude has been central.” Why? Because “the expression of gratitude for employees’ efforts — when the acknowledgement is authentic, specific, and timely — can be a huge motivation and productivity booster, especially during tough times.”
However, their research and that of others “shows that there is a staggering gratitude deficit in the work world. In fact, a recent study found ‘people are less likely to express gratitude at work than anyplace else.'”
With regard to what is of greatest importance customers and to employees, results of major research studies reveal that “feeling appreciated” is danked at or near the top of both lists. Revealingly, customers rank price and employees rank compensation somewhere between ninth and fourteenth. During exit interviews, the #1 reason people give for leaving is a feeling that they and their work have not been sufficiently appreciated.
These are among the passages of greatest interest and value to me, also listed leaders to suggest the scope of Gostick and Elton’s coverage: For example,
o The Negativity Gap (Pages 11-16)
o Fear Is Contagious (23-25)
o When Is There Too Much of a Good Thing? (45-48)
o Finding Time to Be Grateful (54-55)
o The Power of a Gratitude Habit (62-63)
o Debunking the Pareto Principle (66-70)
o No Strings Attached (82-84)
o A Virtuous Circle (97-98)
o The Four Steps to Stay Composed (105-107)
o Working Your Empathy Muscles (121-123)
o Great Ways to Spot Small Wins (130-135)
o Be Not Afraid (150-152)
o Gratitude Is Not a Generic Good (166-!69)
o Rituals Provide Opportunities to Live the Values (184-186)
o No Technology Required (196-199)
o A Baker’s Dozen More Ways to Develop a Grateful Life (209-216)
Gostick and Elton wrote this book in order share what they have learned about how can close the gratitude gap. This, in turn, will help them to establish a workplace culture within which gratitude is most likely to flourish.
As I have indicated, there is much of great value to be learned from this book. The challenge for each reader is to absorb and digest the most relevant material, then avoid the knowing-doing gap by effectively applying the counsel that Adrian Gostick and Chester Eltonprovide offer. I also highly recommend advice from another source, Theodore Roosevelt: “People won’t care how much you know until they know much you care.”