Turning Awareness into Action: How to Seize the Appreciation Advantage (Part 2)

As a leader, you've probably had this happen - you witnessed a magical moment on your team. Maybe it was a moment when someone went above and beyond and did way more than was expected.

Maybe it was a tense moment with an important client, where the client relationship was at risk with a lot to lose. At that moment, someone on your team demonstrated extraordinary empathy or understanding and completely defused a tense situation.

Rather than losing the client, they enhanced the relationship with the client.

What was your reaction when you observed the impressive work or creativity of an employee or team?

I hope you magnified the moment. That you singled out the team or team members involved, and you celebrated and appreciated them for their unique care, commitment, or contributions.

To do that, you must know when the extraordinary occurs in your organization!

If you don't know when the extraordinary happens, you can't appreciate, celebrate, and elevate the extraordinary so that it happens more often. You must first see the moment.

Awareness is crucial, but awareness alone is simply not enough.

To Seize the Moment (and Seize the Appreciation Advantage), you must turn your awareness into intentional and impactful action.

Key Strategies for Leaders to Seize the Moment

As a leader, what can you do to seize more moments and channel your awareness into action? Here are some key strategies to get you started:

Make Appreciation and Gratitude Part of Your Daily Routine.

Make gratitude a vital part of your leadership by incorporating it into your daily routine. If you're looking for practical ways and a supportive community to do this, join me in the I'M GRATEFUL FOR YOU (IGFY) Circle I host on the Gratitude Plus App*. It's a simple tool to express (and grow) gratitude on a daily basis in a community of leaders.

Next, invest a few moments each day acknowledging the contributions of your team members, no matter how small they may seem. This could be as simple as a shout-out during a team meeting or a quick text or email expressing your gratitude and appreciation.

By modeling gratitude, you'll start creating a culture where gratitude is woven into the fabric of your organization.

Infuse Gratitude into Your Correspondence and Communication

If you are anything like the leaders I know and coach, you spend a lot of time in correspondence and communication. Every email, memo, or message is an opportunity to express gratitude.

Before you hit send, ask yourself: "Is there something I can appreciate here?"

Maybe it's acknowledging someone's quick response, their attention to detail, or their willingness to take on extra work.

By infusing gratitude into your regular communication, you're subtly reinforcing a culture of appreciation. Plus, you're more likely to get positive responses and engagement when people feel valued in every interaction.

Start Your Meetings with Gratitude

We've all been in meetings that start with groaning and complaining. And you know how those meetings usually turn out.

But what if YOU flipped the script?

Rather than starting with a litany of complaints and an impassioned discussion of what went wrong...

Imagine what happens when you begin each meeting with a quick round of appreciation or a gratitude moment.

Ask team members to share one thing they're grateful for or to acknowledge a colleague's recent contribution. This practice not only sets a positive tone for the meeting but also encourages team members to look for and vocalize the good they see in each other.

It's a small investment of time that can yield big returns in team morale, cohesion,...and better meetings.

Provide Real-Time Recognition and Appreciation.

Don't wait for the annual review or quarterly company-wide meeting to recognize great work. When you see something impressive, acknowledge it immediately. This could be a public shout-out in a team chat, a quick email to the person and their supervisor, or a handwritten note left on their desk. Real-time recognition reinforces positive behaviors and motivates others to strive for similar acknowledgment.

Remember, the closer the recognition is to the action, the more impactful it becomes.

Encourage Peer-to-Peer Appreciation and Gratitude

While leader-to-team member appreciation is crucial, peer-to-peer gratitude can be even more powerful.

Create systems (or harness the ones you already have) that make it easy for team members to appreciate each other. This could be a digital "kudos" board for peer recognition, or just encouraging team members to send "thank you" emails and copy you.

When team members actively express gratitude to each other, it creates a more connected, supportive work environment. And that leads to increased productivity and profits.

Your Invitation to Action: Seize the Moment...NOW

You are now equipped with these strategies; it's time to put them into practice. Here's your challenge for today:

1. Identify one team member who has recently gone above and beyond.
2. Write them a specific, heartfelt note of appreciation. Be sure to mention the exact action you're grateful for and its impact.
3. Deliver this message in person if possible, or via a personal email or phone call.

Remember, the key is to be specific, sincere, and timely. This simple act can be the first domino to set in motion a culture of appreciation that transforms your team.

It starts with you. Don't delegate, outsource, or automate this!

Take Your Appreciation to the Next Level

Are you ready to turbocharge your gratitude initiatives?

We're thrilled to introduce the Gratitude Gauge, a powerful diagnostic tool that measures the pulse of appreciation within your organization and helps you unlock the full potential of your team.

By harnessing the insights and recommendations of the Gratitude Gauge, you can seize The Appreciation Advantage, fostering a culture of gratitude that drives engagement, retention, and business success.

We've developed the Gratitude Gauge to be scalable and relevant to all organizations, regardless of size. Here's an exciting incentive: The first seven leaders who seize this opportunity will receive additional bonuses to amplify their appreciation efforts.

These exclusive extras are designed to help you implement a culture of gratitude more quickly and effectively.

Don't miss out on this chance to transform your team's dynamics and performance. Contact me via email or DM to explore this exclusive offer for you as an IGFY newsletter subscriber.

Next week, we'll explore innovative ways to Seal the Moment with expressions of gratitude, ensuring that your actions leave a lasting impression. Until then, remember: every moment of appreciation is an opportunity to strengthen your team and elevate your leadership.

Join Don't Wait To Thank

If you've not yet joined Don't Wait to Thank, there's still time to get in on the second half. Join the global movement to express gratitude and appreciation to at least one person every day for the rest of July. We'll even send you a daily reminder. Sign up here.

* Currently the Gratitude Plus app is only available on iOS. Download here to grow gratitude with our IGFY community. Android access is on its way; sign up for the Android waitlist here !