Create a Hostile Environment for the Ungrateful [Infographic]

I often consult with leaders who are trying to develop human-centric cultures. In the context of that work, I have shared my view that it’s essential to make it easy for compassionate and caring people to stay with your business and also to make it easy for ungrateful and scarcity-minded people to find employment elsewhere. Unfortunately, I have seen many examples where talented and positive people churn because the culture does not suit them.

In this Thanksgiving week (where we formally take pause to give thanks), I thought it would be worthwhile to remind ourselves of the importance of driving a year-round culture of optimism and gratitude.

How do you increase gratitude at work? The short answer is, it starts with YOU! I’m an advocate of leaders keeping a gratitude (or as I like to call it, a joy) journal. I also recommend you make a point of expressing gratitude at work at least once per day for the next 90 days. Log your acts of gratitude and look for ways to vary the ways you express gratitude (e.g., notes, email, verbal acknowledgment, public expressions, private expressions, etc.).

People who are cynical about looking for and expressing gratitude might think I am asking you to manufacture appreciation and reward people for simply showing up to do their job. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gratitude must be authentic and warranted. If you express false gratitude, you undermine the value and power of your appreciation.

What I am suggesting is that most of us focus predominantly on breakdowns and deficits and miss so much of what is going right with our teams. The more we catch those positive actions and genuinely express our appreciation for them, the more those actions will appear. Moreover, appreciation will help us retain the very people who deliver those actions as opposed to leaving those individuals hungry for a workplace that values them. We also set an example of the behavior we desire – people appreciating one another for caring for each other and for our customers.

I suspect like me you have much for which to be grateful this Thanksgiving. My joy list will include the bestseller status of my latest book, The Airbnb Way, and the time you have given reading this blog. I would be honored to share that gratitude with you personally as we talk about the leadership, employee engagement, and customer experiences you are seeking to drive in your grateful business. Simply contact me here.

Smoke over black background

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D. is a professional speaker and chief experience officer at The Michelli Experience. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, Dr. Michelli and his team consult with some of the world’s best customer experience companies.

Follow on Twitter: @josephmichelli

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