Why Thankfulness and Success Go
Hand in Hand
By: Hanif Hemani
What’s
the real secret to success? According to the experts, it’s not working more
hours than anyone in the office or going through life without making mistakes.
The
simple answer is “being thankful.” But the bigger question is why?
“Without
gratitude, core teams fall away, culture diminishes and becomes stagnated and
undesirable, innovation ceases, and followers ‘unfollow,’” according to the
Thinking Bigger Business blog.
Conversely,
the simple act of thanking people for their contributions leads to stronger
teams, more open collaboration, higher morale and even higher sales.
In
fact, a case study featured in Fortune magazine showed a direct correlation
between one company’s implementation of appreciation lunches to thank customers
and a 27 per cent increase in revenue. In addition, when the company had to
raise prices by 10 per cent, not one of the “thanked” customers protested the
increase.
The
Benefits of Being Thankful
Here
are some important ways that gratitude can help improve your business, your
career and your life:
1.
Thankfulness produces a solution mindset
According
to Entrepreneur.com, it’s easy to get stuck in “complaining mode” when things
don’t go your way, but that makes you less likely to move forward. Gratitude
changes that perspective, and fosters the right attitude for seeing solutions,
rather than obstacles.
2.
Gratitude fuels great leadership
When
you have an attitude of gratitude toward others, you begin to focus more on
their strengths than on their weaknesses. This has a profound impact on
improving a team’s performance. To be a truly great leader you must maintain
morale, and thankfulness is an excellent tool to do so.
3.
Gratitude increases willpower and financial “patience”
A
Harvard University study revealed an interesting connection between
thankfulness and the ability for people to delay gratification. Successful
people understand the value of forgoing smaller pleasures now in order to reap larger
gains later. The study showed that people with a grateful mindset were better
equipped to exercise delayed gratification, and as a result, made more
financial gains.
Putting It
into Practice
If
you’re not in the habit of expressing thankfulness, there’s good news: gratitude
works like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
A
great way to get started is to keep a written gratitude journal. According to Harvard
Business Review, research shows that keeping this will help you focus more on
the positives in your life and feel more connected to others. A written
reminder also makes it easier to remember to share your thankfulness with those
who have helped you.
One
important caveat: be sincere. Despite the cliché about flattery getting you
anywhere, experts say false praise will get you nowhere. Gratitude is about being
real.
So
when you gather with your team and co-workers this year and consider the blessings
you are grateful for, think about those who make the important things possible,
and resolve to thank them year round.