Manager

Does Gratitude Make You a Better Boss?

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Absolutely! Expressing gratitude shows that you care about your employees, job, clients, and boss. It’s a smart way to motivate others and keep morale up, particularly when faced with challenges.

When bosses and leaders are grateful for their employees, these employees will be 50% more productive. (Wharton School of Business study)

Expressing your gratitude can be done both verbally and in writing. Remember, your words and actions make a big difference in keeping talent and building a positive workplace culture.

Ways to Express Gratitude

Brag! Bragging about your employees sets an example for them to brag about each other. Include the small wins as well as the bigger ones!

Be Sincere. When expressing gratitude, it must be sincere. That will develop trust and increase job satisfaction. Set aside your ego. Learn to acknowledge others for each and every effort, even if it’s part of their everyday job.

Be Specific. Vague feedback or compliments are meaningless. Talk straight about the specific behavior or action an employee or boss has taken when expressing gratitude. This provides clarity about behaviors, attitudes, and actions they should repeat.  For example, say to an employee, “Thank you for taking the extra time to work with the client. They expressed to me their appreciation for your patience.”

Set an Example. Be humble and acknowledge specific roles people played in helping you and your team achieve the goals. For example, “Thank you for your great ideas during our brainstorming session. Because of your willingness to think outside the box, we nailed the issue and successfully completed our last project on time and within budget.”

Be Positive. Being grateful is not a one-time expression. It’s being thankful, even in the face of challenges. For example, when an employee hands in an assignment late, express appreciation to start a conversation in a positive tone. Then, you can delve into the challenges that need to be addressed to have assignments done on-time in the future.

Say Please & Thank You! These two powerful phrases still express a lot of gratitude when said with sincerity. Use frequently for best results!

So here we go … Thank you for reading this post! You are appreciated. (It felt good, didn’t it?!)

Remember, developing gratitude is learned by practicing it over and over (on a daily basis) until it becomes a natural part of who you are as a boss!

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning speaker, coach, and business owner. During the past 26 years, she has guided bosses to create more fun, money, and success when working through confusing situations. Stuck in a project or other situation?  Contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.

How to Win and Blast Past Procrastination

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“Procrastinating today will limit tomorrow’s opportunities.” Jeannette Seibly

Everyone has ideas, thoughts, and plans they would love to achieve. They dream and visualize the results and outcomes. Yet, they don’t take action. Instead, they use excuses and blame procrastination, creating a no-win game!

Why do we procrastinate? The reality is, it doesn’t matter because we all have 100’s of reasons why.

Procrastination is a common phenomenon that you create!

The good news is, you create procrastination, so you can win by blasting past it.

Start by asking yourself these two questions:

  • What would happen if I took action today?
  • How will this support me in one month, one quarter, or one year?

Take Action Today!

Write it down. Knowing what you really really really want is important. Writing it down makes it real!

Recently I worked with a woman who had retired to pursue her dream of becoming a best-selling author. We completed her past accomplishments and created her goal. But, during the process, she shared her true dream of travel. Her fear was she couldn’t afford it. She had stopped believing in her ability to have her dream come true. The first step, she wrote down her true goal and blasted past procrastination.

Be Clear. Once, you’re clear about your true dream, it’s time to write. At the top of a clean sheet of paper, write down the real goal. At the bottom of that page, write down where you are now. Your fears and excuses will come up, procrastination will take over. It may feel like looking up the side of a steep daunting mountainside. To blast past procrastination, successful climbers know to focus on one step at a time.

Breathe and Move Forward! Once you take your first step, you are on your way. Your fear of failure, success or anything else will naturally fall by the wayside as you take one step at a time. Remember, avoid engaging in the “someday, maybe” syndrome that will sabotage you. And, remember, keep breathing as you move forward today in pursuit of your goal.

Honor Your Commitment. Focused action steps speak louder than whatever you tell yourself and others. It’s a step by step process, not a sprint to the goal line. (Think, climbing a mountainside.) Create a focused action plan. Write the milestones on the sheet of paper with your goal to track your progress. Whenever, you feel procrastination beckoning (and, it will), review your progress. Create brags and post them on your mirror. These reminders will fuel more progress and keep you committed.

Talk It Out. When procrastination hits and you get distracted by the shiny object syndrome or run into avoidable problems, talk it out. Hire a coach to guide you through the process. Hire an accountant to create a realistic return on investment (real numbers, not fantasy ones will keep you in action). Find mentors that can provide contacts and insights about your idea or project (use a Non-Disclosure Agreement). Remember, talking it out will provide the critical thinking required to achieve your goal!

Celebrate. Celebrate each and every step and accomplishment. Update your “brags.” As you move forward, notice how other areas of your life expand. Celebrate them too!

Remember, procrastinating today will limit tomorrow’s opportunities.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2019

For the past 26 years, Jeannette Seibly has been recognized as a catalyst and leadership expert. She has helped 1,000s of people create more fun, money, and inspiring results. To learn more about kicking procrastinations butt, contact Jeannette for straight talk with dynamic results.