3 Ways You Are Killing Your Gratitude
Gratitude is the key to a thriving workplace. In Gravitude, author Mark Bowling shares powerful insights on how fostering an ongoing attitude of appreciation can transform your company into a healthier, happier, and ultimately more productive workplace. In Chapter 9, he explores some of the pitfalls leaders should avoid unless they want to sabotage their environment and dishearten their employees.
If you’re a leader at any level, here are three gratitude killers you should steer clear of.
1. Threat of Retaliation
The first gratitude killer is about retaliation. Mark speaks about a time when, at a short-lived job at one company, he voiced his concern (for the greater good of the team he was trusted to manage) and experienced retaliation firsthand. From personal experience, his takeaway is that punishing employees will break trust and destroy gratitude. All employees should feel safe to speak up and advocate for better conditions without fear of backlash. When you create a culture of fear, it leads to disengagement and high turnover rates. Instead, focus on fostering opening communication. By making your team feel heard and valued, you’ll show them their feedback is essential to the company’s health and growth.
2. Feelings of Isolation
Isolation is our next gratitude killer. Making employees (and even customers and vendors) feel like outsiders or isolating them from the team is damaging on both an individual and collective level. This happens when leaders play favorites, exclude specific employees from important meetings, or fail to recognize everyone's hard work and contributions. Isolation breeds alienation and will sap all team spirit. Rather than making team members feel isolated, you should embrace inclusivity and make sure each person feels they belong. By recognizing and celebrating everyone's unique talents and contributions, you will foster a strong sense of community and increase your team’s motivation to learn and grow.
3. Disempowerment
Last but not least, we have disempowerment as the third gratitude killer. Employees need to feel empowered to make decisions and contribute meaningfully. If you are a leader who micromanages, disregards the ideas of others, or doesn’t trust they will do their work well, you are sending the message that their input and skills aren’t valued. This will ultimately stifle creativity and innovation and diminish everyone’s motivation (yourself included, since all that negativity is exhausting!). Trust your team, encourage their ideas, and watch them thrive. By empowering your employees, you will create a more engaged and motivated workforce, driving your company toward success.
~
These three gratitude killers can wreak havoc on your workplace but there are actually ten that you need to be aware of! These three can be overcome by strengthening the pillars of Trust and Identity explored in Gravitude. The other gratitude killers also tie to pillars that can help you mitigate any problems and create a healthier work culture.
If you’re ready to harness the power of gratitude and transform your workplace, Mark Bowling’s Gravitude is your ultimate guide. Dive into the book and learn about all ten gratitude killers to begin your journey to a rewarding work environment that values employees at all levels.
Ready to learn more? Purchase the book today and unlock the full potential of gratitude in your workplace and beyond!
If your organizational culture is an example of Gravitude in action, please contact me. I would like to feature your story in future blog posts.
Gravitude can be found wherever books are sold! My favorites are:
Barnes & Noble (still love to support the brick and mortar)
Click here to join the Gravitude mailing list.