Grateful Leaders. Focused Teams.

Most leaders agree that gratitude matters. Fewer practice it in a way that actually changes outcomes. Gratitude isn’t a Hallmark moment; it is a foundational aspect to leadership. When you thank people specifically—naming the behavior and the impact—you direct attention to what works, lower defensiveness, and make the right habits easier to repeat. Teams feel seen, feedback lands, and momentum grows.

Think of gratitude like training your culture’s muscle memory. You’re teaching people what to notice and what to do again.

A simple weekly rhythm

In a world where it is easy to notice all the things that are going wrong, choose one day each week and write down three moments you’re grateful for from the past few days. Keep them specific. Before you close your laptop, send three short thank-you notes. One sentence is enough: “Thank you for [behavior]. It mattered because [impact]. Let’s keep doing this.” 

Use it in tough conversations

Start with a true, relevant appreciation, then coach the gap. “I appreciate how quickly you respond to clients—it builds trust. I also need proposals to hit the formatting standard so we remain compliant.” Gratitude doesn’t replace accountability; it makes it easier to hear.

Be consistent

If you’re worried gratitude will look like favoritism, track it quietly for a month. Jot down who you thanked, for what, and when. If the same three names repeat, widen your lens—notice behind-the-scenes effort, not just big wins.

Remote or hybrid? It still works 

A couple of practices you can utilize are:

• Create a “Wins & Thanks” channel.
• End Zoom standups with “one gratitude, one focus.”
• Share a monthly customer thank-you with the team.

Gratitude isn’t extra. It’s how you turn good intentions into repeatable results—and how you make the work feel worth doing.

Sheeba Varghese

On a Personal Note...

Leadership Resource: Apps that encourage gratitude 

Here are a few of several apps that encourage and remind you to practice being grateful! Some of these are on a more personal angle, and some have to do with the workplace!

Day One
A clean, private journal with reminders and photos to build a daily gratitude habit.
Link: https://dayoneapp.com

Happyfeed
Log three positives a day and, if you want, share in a small private group for accountability.
Link: https://www.happyfeed.co

Gratitude (app)
Guided prompts and a simple journal to help you write specific, meaningful thank-yous.
Link: https://gratefulness.me

HeyTaco (Slack)
Peer recognition inside Slack. Give someone a “taco” with a short why to keep praise specific.
Link: https://www.heytaco.chat 

Sheeba Varghese is a strategic partner for your talent development solutions and the author of Confidence, Clarity & Ease: A Guide For Emerging Leaders To Thrive. Her passion is to inspire and equip men and women to lead with excellence and authenticity within the spheres of influence that they are called to impact in life. The spheres may be in a home, on a team, in a classroom, among partners in a firm, or within management, to name a few.

Sheeba works with: 

Senior Leaders and professionals who want to develop stronger leadership skills, have impact, and move forward in their careers

Teams who want to work cohesively within their organizations

Coaches who want to renew or apply for certification with ICF

If you want to improve your leadership skills, transition from managing to leading, ensure your team is amazingly successful, increase your self-awareness, and progress your career, or aspire to be a masterful coach for your clients, then Sheeba would love to support you. She works with clients globally, both face-to-face, by phone, or by Zoom.

In her time apart from clients, Sheeba enjoys time with her husband, Santosh, and their 2 sons, Sam and Steven. She loves great movies, a good book, decorating, and dining at the wonderful restaurants in the Bay Area.