Foster a culture of gratitude

Last week I preached on Hebrews 13 and discussed gratitude as a motivation for obedience. It is a Christian thing. Jesus did what he did, and in response to that you are grateful - this paired with future hope give you all the motivation you need (or should have) to obey Christ. But what about in the workplace?

Christine Riordan has written on creating a culture of gratitude in the workplace in order to boost efficiency and performance.

"High performing teams have well-defined goals, systems of accountability, clear roles and responsibilities, and open communication. Just as importantly, teams that foster cohesion with a sense of appreciation and gratitude among the team members maximize performance on a number of dimensions. Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith, authors of the Wisdom of Teams, define a high-performing team in part by members' strong personal commitment to the growth and success of each team member and of the team as a whole."

The best teams have fostered a culture of appreciation and individual growth and success. How does your team do that?

Riordan points out that you lose people if they don't feel appreciated. "And consider the consequences of not fostering a culture of gratitude: A study of over 1,700 employees conducted in 2012 by the American Psychological Association (APA) indicated that more than half of all employees intended to search for new jobs because they felt underappreciated and undervalued."

She gives tips to foster a healthy culture of gratitude and no matter where you are on the leadership ladder you might want to think it through. Read her article here. And notice, it is the Harvard Business Review, so it is legit.

And by the way, good job, keep it up!