The more I study gratitude, the more I am convinced that as Christian heads of companies, emphasizing gratitude to our teams will have a profound impact across our lives and even on the bottom line of the business.
Look at this list of the general benefits of gratitude
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Stronger, healthier relationships
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Improved sleep quality and quantity
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Fewer body aches and pains
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Lower levels of stress
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Fewer toxic emotions and negative thoughts
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Higher self-esteem and resilience
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An air that tends to make other people happy
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A stronger immune system
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Lower blood pressure
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More alertness, liveliness, and wakefulness
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More joy, optimism, happiness, and pleasure
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More helpfulness, generosity, and compassion
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More forgiveness
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Less loneliness and isolation
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The ability to attract and retain great employees
Really look at that list again and ask yourself, “What would my company be like if our people lived from a place of gratitude?” Now let’s break this down in several ways.
Leaders who practice gratitude are respected, trusted, and appreciated. What would that do for your company if you were viewed that way?
Next, Philippians 4:8 stresses that we are supposed to be thinking about things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. When we are grateful for something, we automatically think about those things. If we are in that state of mind, how would that impact the decisions our people make, how they treat each other, or how they view our customers and stakeholders?
Think about the challenges your company is facing. I’ve lost plenty of sleep over problems that my company has faced. What if instead, we were grateful for those challenges as they were designed to build our trust in God, to lead us to be stretched, and to grow our faith so we become more like Christ? Our challenges can be opportunities for us to glorify God as we watch Him turn circumstances for good in our lives.
Studies show that when we are trying to solve a problem and we are in a negative head-space, we come up with fewer alternative solutions than when we are in a positive head-space and are solving the same problem. Being grateful is a fantastic way to stay in a positive head-space.
Now think about what your company would be like if you and your people were giving thanks to each other for even the small wins that they are accomplishing. Your people would sense they are valued, loved, and belong to a group of people who recognize their worth and appreciate who they are.
How can you get in that grateful state of mind?
First, you have to be intentional.
Here are five exercises your teams can do that would help foster a gratitude mindset.
But even more than one-time exercises, gratitude has to be a daily task we do. Being specific and tangible with our expressions of genuine gratitude goes a long way.
Having a gratitude journal also helps. You can create an ongoing list of why you’re thankful, along with a list of times what you felt stressful situations were resolved (including how you felt in the moment and how you felt upon resolution). Even more helpful is reviewing that journal often so you remain in that state of gratitude as you see God’s hand in action across your life.
More than that, we need to be continually thanking God. There is never a time we cannot find good in what He is doing in our lives.
Chew On This:
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What would creating a culture of gratitude do for your company?
1st Principle Leadership’s mission is to equip, empower, and encourage business leaders to be convinced that Christ loves them with all He has and is, so that they return His love with all they are and have. In so doing, every area of their lives, including their businesses, will be in congruence with Christ.
*This blog is an amalgamation of a few different clients. No client is being singled out.
