With Memorial Day right around the corner, you may be spending time this week feeling thankful for the men and women who have served our country, especially those that have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. We honor those who have fallen so that we can enjoy the safety and freedom that we so often take for granted. Holidays like Memorial Day remind us just how important it is to be grateful for what we have and to share this gratitude to our customers, colleagues, mentors, friends, family members, and everyone who has played an essential role in our lives. Through a grateful mindset, you can fully appreciate what you have in your life and your business. In turn, showing gratefulness makes employees feel acknowledged and empowered, and makes customers feel valued and listened to.
Gratitude helps improve employee engagement and retention.
Expressing gratitude is something that often gets lost in the day-to-day, especially at the office. When things go as expected, we often don’t notice or acknowledge it. If you find yourself only praising your employees or team after wrapping up a big project or only during performance reviews, it’s time to find more ways to fit positive feedback into your daily or weekly routine. According to an employee appreciation survey conducted by GLASSDOOR, 53 percent of employees admit they would stay longer at their company if they felt more appreciation from their boss. And, 81 percent of employees report they are motived to work harder when their boss shows appreciation for their work.
Gratitude helps improve customer service.
A handwritten letter, a special package insert like candy or stickers, free samples, or a post-purchase discount are cost-effective ways to show your customers you care. Going the extra mile to give your customers your full attention, staying positive in the midst of frustration, and showing respect through saying “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” and “my pleasure,” can set your business apart from your competitors.
It is easy to shrug off when someone expresses gratitude back to you. We’ve become a culture that says “no problem,” rather than, “you’re welcome.” While unintentional, saying “no problem,” implies whatever they are thanking you for was, in fact, a problem, and can come across as you did them a personal favor. This can particularly rub customers the wrong way, especially if you are in the service industry. By using the phrase “you’re welcome” or “my pleasure” when a customer or client thanks you for a job well done, it helps take your customer service to the next level while avoiding any negative feelings or inadvertent implications.
Gratitude helps bring enjoyment – both in our lives and in others.
Gratitude may be the secret to happiness! MANY STUDIES have found that focusing on gratitude leads to positive benefits in terms of health, happiness, satisfaction with life, and the way we relate to others. Feeling and expressing gratitude turns our mental focus to the positive, which compensates for our brain’s natural tendencies to focus on worries, threats and negative aspects of life. Fostering gratitude can broaden your ideas and create positive cycles of thinking and behaving in healthy, positive ways.
Taking five minutes a day to journal about what you’re grateful for will have a positive impact on your life and those around you. It helps you prioritize and focus on what’s truly important and makes current stressors seem smaller in the grand scheme of things. Count your blessings and be sure to share your feeling of gratitude with someone else. Letting people know you’re grateful for their part in your life will not only maximize your well-being but will also allow those around you to feel good too.
Gratitude helps deepen both personal and business relationships.
Expressing care and appreciation is essential for a healthy relationship – in and out of the workplace. Along with improved employee engagement and retention, showing gratitude and empathy to your team will make them feel more comfortable approaching you with new projects or addressing issues quickly. Strengthening your business relationships can be as easy as complimenting someone on a job well done, remembering someone’s birthday or their favorite treat, or offering to take a task off someone’s plate.
As you well know, gratitude is also key in personal relationships too. Sending a friend an “I’m thinking of you” text or planning a lunch date will make their day and can bridge the gap between visits when you’re both busy or live far away. Letting your spouse or partner know how much you appreciate the small things they do for you helps to promote a cycle of generosity and commitment in the relationship.
While we’re on the topic of gratitude, I want to let everyone know how thankful I am for the support on my book launch. Because of you, Pulling Profits Out of a Hat has hit many of our best seller milestones. Thank you, thank you!
If you haven’t purchased our book yet, feel free to check it out on AMAZON, or your preferred bookstore. If you have purchased the book, help us keep the momentum going by leaving an Amazon review today!