Permission to be Great
Sometimes people need permission to be great. When I consider the successes my company has experienced; I can often see how one or many people stepped up and went beyond in their service or performance of their job. One of my most important roles is to release the greatness in the people I work with. I have found that one way we can do this is through gratitude. Gratitude has the power to release greatness in a person’s life.
Showing and expressing gratitude is an effective tool to unlock the potential and greatness within a person. The ability to observe and call out someone’s strength is an accelerant to releasing a deeper level of talent and skill. Thanking someone for their service or contribution acknowledges their individual value and does a multitude of things; it builds confidence, it encourages growth, it provides positive feedback and creates momentum in the right direction.
What can Gratitude do?
According to a study by Work.com, 69% of employees will show better performance at work if they receive timely appreciation and recognition. And 78% of US employees said recognition drives their motivation levels. Other positive results show that employees will volunteer for more assignments, are willing to take an extra step to accomplish their tasks, and are happy work as a part of the team. Appreciation also yields a stronger group cohesiveness and better productivity.
There is an interesting account in the gospel of Matthew that shows how thankfulness releases something greater into a life. Jesus has just healed 10 Lepers. In the aftermath of the healing one of the lepers returns to thank Jesus. As a result, that gratitude is acknowledge as an act of faith and Jesus declares that he is saved – meaning right with God and eternal secure in Him.
““So where are the other nine?” Jesus asked. “Weren’t there ten who were healed? They all refused to return to give thanks and give glory to God except you, a foreigner from Samaria?” Then Jesus said to the healed man lying at his feet, “Arise and go. It was your faith that brought you salvation and made you whole.””
Celebrate what you want to Replicate
Anyone at any level can express gratitude. It can be to a co-worker, a manager or a boss but when leaders involve themselves in the process; a culture of appreciation is created. This builds a sense of value in everyone’s role in the company and has shown to be a catalyst for achievement and high performance.
Frequent, honest, public, and timely employee appreciation is important in the workplace. Do you have a routine or rhythm of gratitude in your workplace? A simple idea could be starting a staff meeting with recognition and appreciation, this demonstrates the value they bring to the company and creates an emotional connection that strengthens your team. Gratitude also reinforces good behaviors in the team. Gratitude can be expressed in words, awards, gift cards and is only limited by our creativity.
One word of warning when it comes to showing appreciation. Beware of sweeping generalizations. Make your gratitude specific. Don’t just say Thank You. Be intentional with your thanks, say Thank you for…. And include something that demonstrates you understand what they did. This can be large or small. An example may be something like “Thank you for setting the temperature in the conference room and making sure it was clean. It made the atmosphere comfortable and demonstrated the professionalism of the company. It had a big impact on those clients.”
Whatever you celebrate will replicate – What do you want more of in your job, company, or business?
“The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.”