Gratitude as a Management Skill

How managers can effectively show appreciation

Before diving headfirst into a new year filled with fresh goals, resolutions, and business improvement initiatives, take a moment to bask in the warm feeling of appreciation ushered in by holiday cheer and (hopefully) year-end bonuses. Okay, your moment is over. Now it's time to look at how to make gratitude work for your team.

There is no shortage of research to show the positive effects of gratitude. Physical responses such as increased serotonin and dopamine, cultural shifts such as stronger connections and mutual respect, and productivity boosts such as fewer sick days, improved job satisfaction, and reduced turnover combine to provide a convincing case for gratitude as an essential component of effective workplace management. And while the way you show it can be as unique as the person you are showing it to, there are opportunities to ensure gratitude is well received and reinforces the right behaviors.

1. Focus appreciation on systematic improvement rather than just crisis management.?While it’s easy to spotlight the big saves and Herculean efforts that employees displayed during the year, scrambling can easily become a part of the company culture when this is the only behavior that gets the attention of the company’s leaders. Problem-solving may take on a reactive mode and, as a result, create recurring or residual problems along the way. Instead, create a culture of continuous improvement by recognizing and rewarding employees’ contributions to ongoing process improvement.?
2. Make the reason for your appreciation clear.?Thorough and effective communication is just as important when delivering positive feedback in the form of gratitude as it is to coaching, guiding, and correcting behaviors. Employees often remember the moments when they were appreciated and may even share the experience with people close to them. Make it easy for them to express why you showed them gratitude instead of being left to hypothesize and possibly misinterpret it.
3. Include it in regular follow ups.?Following up with employees is critical to dynamic management. As Carpedia CEO Peter Follows defines in his latest book, Results Not Reports , the term dynamic management refers to the continuous and evolving interaction between a manager and an employee. It involves assigning work, following up on progress, providing coaching, and correcting mistakes. “When managers follow up in a meaningful way,” Follows says, “the relationship between manager and employee changes from a reactive orientation to an active mutual collaboration.”
4. Put it in writing.?Committing to something in writing not only shows the recipient that you mean it, but it also gives them something to keep and return to. Handwritten cards are heartwarming and personal, but a well thought out email can be just as effective. Double down on the expression of gratitude with a face-to-face “thank you” to reinforce the message.
5. Customize gratitude whenever possible. Consider the recipient when deciding how to best deliver a show of appreciation. Shy employees may not find public recognition rewarding, while highly ambitious extraverts may thrive on it. Incorporating assessment tools such as Myers-Briggs, DiSC, or Social Styles into onboarding programs can provide valuable insights to help you know your team better and develop gratitude practices that are most impactful. Psychologists Gary Chapman, PhD?and Paul White, PhD developed the “5 Languages of Appreciation” to shed light on why appreciation should be individualized and to provide managers with the tools to understand the types of appreciation their team members will respond to.
6. Be sincere. Giving gratitude isn’t a gimmick. It’s something that should be well thought through and meaningful. Many managers fall into a pattern of showing gratitude as part of a checklist. Not only can this be seen as a hollow gesture, but it can ultimately have adverse effects for the recipient and send the wrong message to the rest of the team. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Sincerity is the highest compliment you can pay.”Whether verbal, written, or through gesture or recognition, keep it real. ?

While both gratitude and appreciation are positive emotions that relate to acknowledging the goodness in life, they differ slightly in their meanings and contexts.

Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness or acknowledgment for receiving something, whether tangible or intangible. It often relates to being grateful for something that has been given to you or done for you.

On the other hand, appreciation is about recognizing and enjoying the good qualities of someone or something, regardless of whether it directly benefits you. It's more about acknowledging value and worth.

Regardless of whether you are grateful for the outcomes your company has realized due to your employees’ efforts and innovations, or appreciative of who they are as people and the positive workplace culture they are a part of, the expression of each is important for promoting positivity and creating a workplace environment where people feel valued.

By Jacques Gauthier , Executive Vice President, Carpedia International