The Grace in Gratitude

A few weeks ago, a colleague asked me what I am reading right now, to which I half-jokingly responded,?“Does 10th?grade math count?” Because while I have a long list of favorite reads across several genres, I also have two high-school-age boys at home, so I am?not?reading much for?business or pleasure?these days. The truth is, I am incredibly thankful for this time in my?boys’?lives and like most parents, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.???

I am fortunate to work for a company that has long embraced flexible working arrangements. With the?future workplace being hybrid?now a certainty,?we at Cisco believe that work is what we do, not where we go.?As?I thought about what I might read during?the?upcoming holiday break from school and work, I found myself reflecting on how grateful I am?for my family,?for?Cisco?culture and?technology, which allow me to be intentional with my time,?energy, and location.??

The benefits of practicing gratitude are well known and documented, including improving our work lives and?fostering?better relationships with?colleagues. In the spirit of?sharing thankfulness?and its benefits, here are?four tips?I have learned?for?practicing gratitude in leadership.??

1.?Learn to accept praise – and encourage others to do the same??

Admittedly, this might seem counter-intuitive,?and it certainly?has not been natural for me to embrace.?Like many others,?I?struggle?to accept praise?in my personal and professional lives. It’s something I?have to?actively?remind myself to do.??

How many of us have a habit of?immediately deflecting a compliment??Even a quick “great job” after a project?completion?is generally met with “it wasn’t a big deal”?or “oh, I didn’t really do that much.”?Our brains are so wired?from the moment praise is uttered?to?start?analyzing?the?gaps?to perfection. We immediately think of?everything?that we could have done better, faster,?or?smarter, and feel that we need to deflect the praise?as a result.?It feels?uncomfortable – vulnerable – to?so?clearly see the flaws?in our work that we can’t possibly?believe?that the compliment is warranted.??

This isn’t to say?we should not share?credit?where?due.?That?is?absolutely?fundamental, especially for leaders.?But as leaders,?we also have a unique vantage point to see when our teams are not accepting praise?themselves.?I am learning (and practicing!)?to be more?comfortable?accepting?a compliment?so that I can lead by example and encourage my team to do the same.??

2.?Share the spotlight?– and learn how to identify it?first?

We tend to forget that simply?being?asked?to speak in a meeting?or?present?our?findings?is?an opportunity. Where can individuals who are?actually doing?the work get?a chance?to share what they’ve done??These opportunities are plentiful, especially if you work in a large organization with?regular?reviews. For example:??

• Staff meetings: Ask an individual to share an update on an important topic to your own staff?or to your leader’s staff.??
• All Hands events: Use a larger forum like this to introduce individuals or teams to present to the broader?group.???
• Post-launch meetings: Ask your leadership team to identify individuals who have recently?completed?a project, and then schedule?a conversation?with the key players.??

Besides being an opportunity to practice gratitude for the work being done, there’s a good chance that individuals presenting their work (as opposed to?their managers) will resonate more with the audience.?In a recent post event survey,?the?overwhelming majority of?employees in my organization wanted to hear from their peers.??

3.?Formalize a recognition program?– and?make it your own??

Most large companies have implemented formal recognition programs.?The key to making?them?your own is to?make sure?the?recognition is tailored to?your priorities?and?values.??Tie the program into your organization’s business values and implement weighting based on criteria that support?them.?In my organization, we highlight outcomes based on four areas aligned to our business values:??

• Growth: both for our business and for our people. That means we can recognize and thank teams who are driving growth that directly impacts our bottom line?and?individuals who are investing in developing their skills??
• Expertise:?sharing subject matter expertise with the organization?
• Excellence: simplifying high-impact processes to make everyone’s lives easier?
• Customer-centric: focusing on efforts that impact both our internal and external customers???

Amplify the recognition.?In?a formal program?with?predefined?cycles, it’s simple to build amplification?into?the process and align it to all-organization events?like a quarterly?All?Hands. In this way, you build gratitude into your regular operating rhythm.??

4.?Don’t?neglect?informal recognition??

While a formal program provides an ideal platform for recognizing efforts and achievements, don’t underestimate the power of a quick thank you.??

This can take many forms: an email to the individual with their leader on copy, a direct note via instant message, a call-out in a meeting, or?a shout-out in the all-team virtual water-cooler. A thank you goes a long way to remind people that you appreciate their work.??

Intentionally?practicing gratitude in all aspects of our lives?and?baking some of these habits into our?regular work can have?a?compounding?effect?across the organization. Gratitude begets gratitude.?

And so, in?the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, I have a renewed sense of gratitude for my family, my work, and my team. So much so that the next time someone asks me what I’m reading, I will proudly tell them that I am currently enthralled?by?a 10th?grade math textbook, and for that I could not be more thankful.??

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