Gratitude for Company Culture
For the month of November (the month that Thanksgiving falls on the calendar), I wanted to express gratitude by dedicating four weeks of my blog to focus on thankfulness through a leadership lens. It is important to remember the good things with which God has kindly blessed each of us, because it postures us to praise Him and have a joyful heart.
"Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind." - Psalm 107:21
To kick off the first week we are looking at thankfulness through the leadership lens of company culture. Often taken for granted (unless you’ve experienced a poor work environment), company culture is vital for establishing, implementing and living out the values of your organization.
Company culture affects all aspects of a business, and as a leader, you hold a particular responsibility of setting the tone through your behaviors to coworkers, clients and customers. Culture reflects a company’s morals and values, and can enhance the wellbeing and satisfaction of employees.
I highly encourage each of you, as a leader, to incorporate a spirit of gratefulness into the core of your company’s culture. Cultivating a culture that reflects on blessings - big and small - is healthy, grows positivity and fosters an environment where employees serve one another, care about each other, and focus less on themselves.
Leading by example and modeling what gratitude looks like is a simple, yet effective, way of making thankfulness a part of your culture. Openly convey your appreciation for an employee’s contributions to your organization, offer grace and forgiveness when people make mistakes (when you share the power and empower others, you should expect mistakes - people aren’t learning if they aren’t making mistakes), and let people know they are valued and supported, especially in these unprecedented hectic times.
When you posture your heart toward gratitude, it becomes a habit. The more you make this a priority, the more it will become ingrained in your company values and culture.
Stressful seasons occur and responsibilities build, but remember to take time to look for the good and remember what makes your company special - there is always something to be thankful for.
This November, take time to thank those who lead you as well as those you lead. Express gratitude for the integrity and values upheld at your place of work and the character of the people around you that work together in making the culture special, and a place where people want to come to work.