Grateful Leadership: Certainty in Uncertain Waters
In the world of business today, change has never been so prevalent nor so fast and we’ve never seen so much uncertainty. If you want a high-performing, people-first culture of excellence, you may be asking yourself, "How do I deal with all this uncertainty ?"
The answer is simple. Deal with what you know is certain.
When it comes to having people bring their best selves to work, one thing is for certain—your people need to know you care about them. This is never going to change—hard stop.
Being socially valued is a foundational human need that is requisite to excellence.
Forget about flexible working conditions, a competitive benefits plan, how AI is going to make work easier, whatever. None of this matters if you do not genuinely care for your people. But caring for your people is not enough. Your people need to know it. Imagine this—you care about your people but they don’t realize it. The shift from "knowing you care" to "not knowing you care" can happen far too easily. For example, someone doesn’t understand why a certain decision is made and imputes it’s because the decision maker doesn’t care. In no time, people embrace a mindset of complacency or entitlement—excellence becomes a mindset lost and forgotten.
Remember, everyone needs to know that "someone" genuinely cares for them as a person. And if you have direct reports, their "someone" is you !
This is the magic of Grateful Leadership—it nurtures an awareness of others and the importance of community and through your actions, ensures people know you care.
Check out our January blog post for ideas on Grateful Leadership that lets others know you genuinely care about them. But even more important than these tips, is your own daily practice. In the midst of ever present change and uncertainty you need a daily gratitude routine to maintain a healthy mindset. We call it a Habitual Ritual and it involves two foundational habits:
Make a list of what you’re grateful for
Read or listen to other people’s gratitudes
This simple but powerful practice will strengthen your mindset and make you a better leader—a leader that people will know cares for them. Join us on The Daily Gratitudes for the support you’re going to need for a lasting Habitual Ritual.
Bottom line, in the face of unprecedented uncertainty, you can have the confidence and know for certain, that by using Grateful Leadership, you’re on the right track and building a culture of excellence.
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