If you believe that gratitude can change the world, then it’s not a stretch to imagine that its deliberate practice can change the trajectory of your career or company as much as any single thing you can do. Even better, unlike virtually every other business or professional strategy, implementing a gratitude campaign as a professional or within our company cultures can be done completely FREE.
Think about it. Something that takes less than 60 seconds a day and doesn’t cost a dime has the power to make you one of your company’s most valuable employees or your company worthy of a “Best Place to Work” award. By simply thanking people for working with us, buying from us, sending referrals our way, etc., we can propel ourselves into the top 10 percent of any rankings.
Creativity and innovation cannot exist where people are afraid and not willing to take chances. Gratitude destroys fear and allows teams to create, innovate and disrupt industries.
How Gratitude Can Grow Your Company and Career
Recruitment and retention numbers skyrocket in places where people are thankful relative to every other job they’ve had. They don’t quit a good job. They invite their friends to work there. They are also more protective and bought into their company’s values and mission.
Word of mouth, referrals and viral growth are all fueled by thankful consumers that have turned into brand advocates. Thankful customers are also less likely to leave when a mistake does occur, because they have a long history of being thankful for a company that is thankful for them. They’re not willing to give that up.
Professionals who thank everyone along the way, whose attitude of gratitude is memorable, get more job offers, more chances for promotions and more grace when they have a bad month at work. They network better, sell more effectively and lead more memorably if gratitude is the suit they wear to work everyday.
Gratitude is not just fun, right and contagious. It’s also a disruptive, profitable, high return on investment way to work.
Starting a Gratitude Campaign In Your Professional World
If you’re an individual, starting a 30-day gratitude challenge is just as easy in your personal life. It’s as simple as reviewing your calendar, text messages and emails for people who showed you kindness, performed with excellence or opened doors for you. You don’t need your manager’s permission or a brilliant script. Just find one person every day who gave you a small reason to be thankful and tell them so. Send them an email, put a note on their desk or pick up the phone and surprise them with your words.
If you’re a leader of the company, you can use the videos created by the Thanks A Billion Project to roll out a 30-day company-wide effort to get your team saying thank you. Buy your team a stack of thank-you notes, do a kick-off campaign (or invite us to do an opening day webinar) and then send out a link every day. Just remember, you’re the leader, so you have to go first and be the most consistent among your team at doing it if you want them to follow suit.