Not Just Because It's Thanksgiving

It's tempting not to write about being thankful in the workplace during Thanksgiving week.  My fear is that the subject, coinciding with the holiday, will come across as trite and treacle-ly in the vein of  "It's Thanksgiving week, be a nice person, thank the people you work with and you're done with that for another year."   And that would be missing the point.   Don't thank someone just because it's Thanksgiving, thank them because you're genuinely grateful.

Giving thanks at the workplace, year-round, is the right thing to do.   Here's why.  The reality of any workplace is that team members are dependent upon one another to get the job done.  It's important to recognize that if your team members were not there, the output they produce would no longer be there either.  You, and your company, rely on that output to "get the job done."   This is true all up and down the chain of command.  If someone did not clean the bathrooms, it would not get done.  If someone was not providing direction and strategy, it would not get done.   If someone was not responsible for tactical execution, things certainly would not get done.  You are reliant upon each other and thus, you have the privilege of being genuinely grateful..

Key word:  genuinely.  It is easy enough to say "thank you" to someone as a fly-by in the hallway;  sometimes it is more difficult, but better, to examine how you and your team work together and to be truly grateful that you have the privilege of working with these people every day.    The gut ability to be genuinely thankful not only provides  you with a realistic view of your contribution, and how it meshes with everyone else's, but it also shifts the focus to the positive in the workplace.

At times, it is way too easy to get caught up in "I" at the workplace:  nobody appreciates the work I do. . .I work so hard and it isn't recognized. . .I put so much energy and thought into my work.  All of that may be true, but the above statements don't necessarily move you anyplace positive.  Being grateful expands your field of vision beyond "I" and puts the emphasis on other members of the team.  That is always a winning strategy.

If you are genuinely grateful, find ways to express that gratitude - each day.  In-person thank you's, e-mails, text messages, public announcements, taking someone to coffee or lunch are ways of expressing your appreciation for a job well done.   Make it a priority, all year, to feel gratitude for who you are, what you have and the team with whom you have the privilege of working.

 

"Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is published on Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095KPA6A