As we head into the holiday season, we all have a lot to be grateful for. And saying “thank you” is even more powerful than you think. In her November 22 “Your Best Next Move” video, Bobbie LaPorte explains all the different ways that expressing gratitude can benefit everyone on your team—and you as well.
Transcript of Your Next Best Move: The Power of Thank You in Leadership
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with my weekly tip for your Best Next Move – where I help you have more agency in your work, acknowledge your capacity to act, and see what you can do right now.
We are heading into a holiday week…so I want to keep this week’s “TIP” brief but relevant.
As I’ve been speaking with clients lately, I often find myself reminding busy executives to thank and appreciate the people on their teams. This is not just the right thing to do—it’s also increasingly important in these times of uncertainty to make sure people feel valued and appreciated.
If you need some additional reasons why consider these:
- When you use appreciative language with other people, you activate the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for creativity, inspiration, and seeing what’s possible—both in them and in you!
- Thanking someone and telling them why you value them is part of the practice of strength-spotting. It’s a very effective way of connecting people to what they are good at so they can build capacity and use those strengths more often in their work.
- Research shows that being appreciated is one of the most important drivers of employee engagement.
- Finally, we also know from studies that expressing gratitude has numerous personal benefits – for our personal well-being and mental health. And it has also been proven to extend our lifespan.
So, here’s my tip for using the power of thank you in leadership:
As we head into Thanksgiving week and the holiday season, let’s make a commitment to practice gratitude and thanks every day. You might be surprised at the impact it has on you and those around you.
As always, I want 2021 to be a year of momentum for you, one of possibility thinking that takes advantage of the agency we sometimes forget we have.
That’s my tip for this week. I’ll see you next week. I hope you are able to celebrate this special holiday with your family, friends, and those close to you after a long hiatus during the pandemic.
Take care of yourselves.