Lean Quote: Thanksgiving is a Time of Togetherness and Gratitude

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude.."   —  Nigel Hamilton

More than any other holiday, Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to reflecting and gratitude for everything we have in life. Around Thanksgiving, many of us pause to reflect on the things, people, and circumstances that make us grateful. Some families even have traditions of sharing gratitude around the Thanksgiving table.

For many people, “thanks-giving” is a tradition that happens around the dinner table once a year. But research suggests that leaders should encourage gratitude in the workplace year-round.

Boost worker engagement and productivity – as well as satisfaction and health – by increasing gratitude in your workplace. Here are 4 ways to help encourage gratitude in the workplace and foster more thanks-giving year-round at work:

1. Be grateful for people, not performance.

Sometimes, gratitude initiatives can feel like old recognition programs warmed over. To avoid this feeling, focus on social worth and think about how people have made a difference. Give thanks for people’s willingness, enthusiasm, commitment, or efforts — not their impact on the bottom line.

2. Customize your thanks-giving.

Practicing gratitude requires thinking about how specific people like to be thanked and tailoring your gratitude accordingly. Thanking a very shy person at the global quarterly meeting might come across more like punishment than recognition.

3. Be specific in your gratitude.

Saying “thanks for being awesome” doesn’t have the same impact as “thank you for always getting to meetings 5 minutes early to set up the projector; I know that our meetings wouldn’t go as well if we didn’t have you.”

4. Don’t fake it.

Authentic leadership and showing vulnerability are key parts of gratitude. If you can’t think of anything you’re truly grateful for, don’t try to fake it. Most people can tell when an expression of thanks isn’t heartfelt, and fake gratitude is probably worse than none at all.

Make Thanksgiving count. This year, let’s be truly grateful and carry that gratitude throughout the holiday season.