The Service of Gratitude Builds Great Leaders

Today’s guest post is by April Kelly, the Senior Director of Customer Operations for LinkedIn, and President of Gratitude Academy, LLC. The vision of the Academy is to foster a positive, thankful community. You can purchase her new highly-acclaimed book “Gratitude At Work” from our shop and find April on Twitter or at www.gratitudeacademy.com

A great political leader once said “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.”   In an age of increased technology and communication, this certainly applies to leaders today.  Nonetheless, the question remains how do we get along and become great leaders?

Mahatma Gandhi uttered these words decades ago.

Great leaders display a set of unique values which motivate and attract others.  They are driven by an inner voice and conviction fueled by integrity and vision.  We have learned that focusing on specific principles in one area has been the key to developing great leaders.

Robert Emmons discuses a principle in his book The Psychology of Gratitude and defines what he refers to as ‘spiritual intelligence’.

[Spiritual intelligence is] the adaptive use of spiritual information to facilitate everyday problem solving and goal attainment.-Robert Emmons

Kathleen Noble agrees with Emmons’ definition but she qualifies it saying that spiritual intelligence is not something that can be learned as much as it’s an ‘inherent ability’.

Whether leaders are born or raised, American business executives and mid-managers around the country seek to expand their skill sets in leadership.  Some of them seek to learn from these ‘born leaders’ and to emulate their better qualities so as to eventually follow in their footsteps. How can this be done?

Emmons explains that leaders are not either ‘born or trained’ but function from a combination of both ‘nature and nurture’. The art of saying “thank you” can be developed and positively impact the workplace in many areas.  Grateful customers are more likely to come back and grateful employees are less likely to leave.  Grateful colleagues pull together and grateful bosses trust their employees, each being trusted more in return.

Because leadership is a combination of these qualities, this one attribute can contribute significantly to change a person’s character.   When applied to any person’s life with unflinchingly determination, gratitude is the key attribute which can single handedly create great leaders. Regardless of what we think we may see, gratitude actually expresses the truth of what really is.  It is an extremely simple and powerful tool which points us in the direction of reality and causes others to follow.

Gratitude is literally one of the few things that can measurably change people’s lives.–Robert Emmons

Of course, Robert Emmons wasn’t the first person to recognize this profound truth about gratitude. Before him and even before Gandhi, there was the great teacher; Gautama Buddha who once said “You have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.”  This truth is something that reverberates through everything we experience and is often hidden beneath the surface of our mistaken perceptions. We may not recognize it but this only means that we need to work extremely hard to align ourselves with it.  This will empower us to become an optimum leader.

Have you ever noticed the impact of gratitude in the workplace?  In reflecting on the 80/20 rule, leaders generally focus 80% of their time on 20% of the population.  This population is usually exhibiting behaviors counterintuitive with desired outcomes.  If we were to shift this trend and spend 80% of the time rewarding and acknowledging the types of behavior we desire, imagine the outcome.  Gratitude can foster this type of response to situations and cultivate the ultimate team environment.

Emmons has now discovered something entirely new in the amazing scientific effects of gratitude on the body.  He first believed that this positive attitude could have a physical affect on our health and he put his intuition to the test.  He employed several research subjects in his health psychology class at UC Davis and instructed them to write down five things they were thankful for each day. Other students were also instructed to record five complaints and several weeks later their physical, psychological and social well-being was compared against their classmates.

Emmons studies were successful in showing that the attitude we take on actually affects our health and the world around us.  The ‘grateful students’ showed a marked increase in favorable health conditions.  They functioned better and found success to be much simpler and easier.  This not only proved that health may be synonymous with what spiritual masters have said all along, but it resulted in positive effects for those students who used the tool.  In fact, Emmons quoted his favorite philosopher ‘Cicero’ after completing his study. He said;

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. –Cicero

Since that study, Emmons studies have gone on to confirm his findings over and over again. “We always find the same thing,” Emmons said. “People who keep gratitude journals improve their quality of life.”

In addition to gratitude journals, the author suggests the practice of breathing exercises and visual reminders to develop the capacity for gratitude each day.  He counsels others to watch their language so as to influence the way we think about the world and the people around us.

Gratitude affirmations are a great training tool.  Think about the messages you play in your head daily.  What kind of thoughts do you tell yourself?  We undergo much training in our youth to formulate these messages.  Many of them are false

We can start today with an attitude of gratitude and measure our own results.  You will see how truly this practice works yourself!