Leading with Gratitude

The influential New York Times bestselling authorsthe apostles of appreciation Chester Elton and Adrian Gostickprovide managers and executives with easy ways to add more gratitude to the everyday work environment to help bolster moral, efficiency, and profitability. Workers want and need to know their work is appreciated. Showing gratitude to employees is the easiest, fastest, most inexpensive way to boost performance. New research shows that gratitude boosts employee engagement, reduces turnover, and leads team members to express more gratitude to one anotherstrengthening team bonds. Studies have also shown that gratitude is beneficial for those expressing it and is one of the most powerful variables in predicting a persons overall well-beingabove money, health, and optimism. The WD-40 Company knows this firsthand. When the leadership gave thousands of managers training in expressing gratitude to their employees, the company saw record increases in revenue. Despite these benefits, few executives effectively utilize this simple tool. In fact, new research reveals people are less likely to express gratitude at work than anyplace else. What accounts for the staggering chasm between awareness of gratitudes benefits and the failure of so many leaders to do itor do it well? Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton call this the gratitude gap. In this invaluable guide, they identify the widespread and pernicious myths about managing others that cause leaders to withhold thanks. Gostick and Elton also introduce eight simple ways managers can show employees they are valued. They supplement their insights and advice with stories of how many of todays most successful leaderssuch as Alan Mulally of Ford and Hubert Joly of Best Buysuccessfully incorporated gratitude into their leadership styles. Showing gratitude isnt just about being nice, its about being smartreally smartand its a skill that everyone can easily learn.