Thanksgiving is just a couple days away, inspiring this week’s newsletter that’s focused on gratitude. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, it's a helpful opportunity to recognize that giving thanks enriches human connections and creates a cycle of goodwill and generosity, according to research by UC Berkley. And in the workplace, this same kind of appreciation can be instrumental in motivating your team and enhancing performance.
Despite how it might sound, gratitude isn’t just a feel-good emotion – it’s a powerful driver of engagement. In fact, 80% of employees say they’d work harder for a boss who regularly shows appreciation, per a recent Glassdoor survey, emphasizing a solid business case for managers to prioritize gratitude in their leadership practices.
That said, giving thanks shouldn’t just come from you as the manager or be reserved for special occasions. Employees are 36% more likely to positively contribute to financial results when they receive peer-to-peer recognition, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. So reaping the true benefits of gratitude – from higher morale to deeper trust and greater collaboration – happens when you effectively incorporate thanks into your team culture.
With this in mind, how can you embed gratitude into your management style and team interactions?
Start a habit
Gratitude has been shown to reduce envy and build resilience, per a report by Positive Psychology, highlighting just how beneficial appreciation can be in nurturing positive team dynamics. Like all meaningful initiatives, working gratitude into your regular interactions must be intentional, so consider baking it into your team meetings. Perhaps when you plan your upcoming priorities, you can devote a few minutes to recognizing team members who have done exceptional work recently.
You also might try taking it further by giving your team members opportunities to appreciate one another publicly! Perhaps this means allocating time at the end of larger group meetings or launching a dedicated chat channel for teammates to express gratitude for their coworkers. Efforts like these can inspire impromptu appreciation and create a consistent warm feeling among your team members.
Personalize your appreciation
74% of employees who receive regular recognition strongly agree that their work is valuable and useful, as outlined by a Gallup study, and gratitude lands best when it’s specific and meaningful. Generic “good job” messages can fall flat, but tailored praise shows you truly see and appreciate your team’s efforts. So instead of saying, “Thanks for your hard work,” try something more personal like, “I really appreciate how you navigated that tricky client situation – it showed incredible patience and creativity.” Use one-on-ones to make personalized and authentic gratitude a regular practice to build your team members’ confidence and sense of value.
Celebrate smaller milestones
Some of your direct reports may be working on projects that take several months to complete, so don’t wait until the end to express appreciation. It turns out that increasing recognition from quarterly to monthly actually boosts engagement and productivity by 40%, according to Achievers Workforce Institute’s 2024 State of Recognition Report. So on long-term projects, celebrate incremental progress to keep your team motivated and excited. For example, express gratitude when a team member steps up to lead a meeting despite an unclear brief or successfully collaborates with a challenging stakeholder. These moments might seem minor, but they’re often the glue that holds complex work together.
Be intentional
Working gratitude into your everyday communication is definitely important for creating continuous engagement, but there are times when a more thoughtful gesture of appreciation can go a long way. For example, if your team just finished a grueling project or responded to a corporate restructuring with resilience, you might want to consider taking your recognition a step further. Perhaps this means sending them a thoughtful handwritten note, taking them out for celebratory drinks on the company, or giving them all a day off to relax and recharge. This shows your team members that you truly appreciate them as people, not just executors, which can drive their motivation to achieve even more going forward.
Loop in leadership
Showing gratitude for your team in front of the executive team can have a huge impact given that they may not typically get that kind of face time. So when presenting on a certain initiative, be sure to call out the people working on it by name and briefly mention your thanks for a specific area they are excelling in with that project. And when one of your team members really took the lead to drive a massive achievement, consider letting them lead the presentation themselves. These acts send a clear message to your team that you are not only grateful for them, but that you are actively taking your appreciation to the top.
