The Importance of Gratitude

Hello Sheeba,

It is that wonderful time of the year when people remember the importance of gratitude. As many gather around the table in the United States with family and friends, enjoy a meal, and fellowship with one another, it is also the time that many pause from their busyness to consider all that we are thankful for in our lives.  However, remember that this is not simply a once-a-year moment.  Instead, cultivating this mindset of gratitude throughout the year is valuable to ourselves and those around us. 

When speaking with leaders, I remind them of how powerful gratitude is in the workplace. We are often quick to let employees know when something is wrong. When do we also share our gratitude when things go well,  improvements have occurred, sacrifices have been made, or deadlines were met?

According to one Forbes article, the following are points to consider when it comes to gratitude:

1. Gratitude Increases Productivity: Did you realize that gratitude can energize and motivate others? When you show gratitude to your team, it lifts the mood of others and often makes them want to do a better job at whatever tasks they are working on. 

2. Grateful Leaders Are Humble Leaders: Gratitude and humility are  closely connected. The Forbes article says, "true humility is a mindset that involves less focus on self and more on others, and an ability to see the strengths and value of others." Gratitude fosters humility.

3. Grateful Leaders Have a Growth Mindset. Being grateful is linked to self-improvement. If we are grateful, we have a positive outlook that enables us to look within ourselves and find ways we can improve and our business can improve. 

In Appreciation, 

 

LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT: Laura Smith, All Star Cleaning Service

Laura Smith is the founder of All Star Cleaning Service in Fort Collins, Colorado. Laura has an incredible story of overcoming adversity and making an entire business out of nothing. 

She explained on her website how she was pregnant and homeless with little support from her family. She bounced between foster homes and group homes until she found herself at Fort Collins Mission when she was 18 years old and 5 months pregnant. Laura said it was in this moment that she learned she needed to create her own future. She said, "Life is not about what happens to us but about how we respond."

Laura makes it a point to show gratitude and give back to her community with her career. "We have always given back to our community in multiple ways – we clean for local non-profits for free, we offer 2 free cleanings to anyone in the community going through treatment for cancer, we donate gift certificates to every local silent auction that asks (an average of 40 $200 gift certificates per year), and most recently we ran a Hometown Heroes giveaway over the summer, in which we gave away $30,000 worth of free cleanings to front line medical workers during the first several months of COVID-19." 

Laura said, "As a former foster child and then homeless young adult, it is extremely important to me to give back to the community that has supported my success. Our cancer cleanings are now also extremely close to my heart since my daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia last year, and I’ve been able to see firsthand how critical cleaning is to oncology families."

 LEADERSHIP RESOURCE: Touchnote App

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 influences 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 own self-awareness and progress your career, or you 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, 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.