LEADERS MAKE TIME TO FEEL AND EXPRESS GRATITUDE
This coming week millions of people across the United States will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. Some will be spending the holiday with family members. Others will be commemorating the holiday with friends who have become “framily.” Some may be spending this holiday alone because they are unable to travel to be with loved ones.
Regardless of our circumstances this coming Thursday, we all possess the power to pause, to reflect, and to focus on those aspects of our leadership journeys which have brought us joy and satisfaction.
I am not referring only to our professional journeys. Some of us have been leaders in our families. Others have been leaders of friend groups. Many have led volunteer boards or committees. Still others have led not-for-profit organizations, religious groups or school clubs.
Regardless of your own unique circumstances, I encourage you to give yourself permission to literally sit back this Thursday and think about those aspects of your life for which you are most grateful, perhaps some aspects of your leadership journey which you often take for granted.
Allow yourself to think about the leaders who:
– helped mold your beliefs about career and work,
-taught you the ropes when you were young and just learning how challenging leadership can be,
-showed faith in your potential,
-trusted you to do the right thing, and
-helped you rise again after you had fallen.
Serving as a leader, in our personal lives and our professional lives, is both a privilege and an obligation. The privilege comes from having the opportunity to help shape young people’s paths, whether those people are our own children or relatives or our direct reports at the office. The obligation arises from our challenge to do our very best for them; to help them grow and flourish so they can become leaders themselves one day, within their own families and their own workplaces.
Please be grateful for the many chapters on your leadership journey:
-The mentors who did not give up on you
-The managers who showed you the real challenges
-The colleagues who had your back when you stumbled
-The wise men and women who revealed the big picture
-The managers and supervisors who forgave you your mishaps
-The direct reports who gave you honest feedback, especially when you did not want to hear it
-The experienced leaders who encouraged you to take vacations
-The colleagues who reminded you not to be a martyr
-The managers who told you that it helps to slow down
-The leaders who showed you the shortcuts to effectiveness
-The colleagues who taught you the secrets to good delegation
-The leaders who preached to you the value of attentive listening
-The colleagues who left jobs in your department much better than they found them
-The managers and leaders who gave you terrific recommendations when you were seeking a new job
-The leaders who were not afraid to tell you the hard truths
-The leaders who taught you the importance of trust, and that it is a process that flows in two directions
-The managers who helped you increase your own self-awareness
These are just a few of the kinds of people for whom we can feel gratitude during this Thanksgiving holiday.
Perhaps some of them are still around in your life.
Perhaps you have not communicated with them in a long time.
Perhaps you are connected to them on LinkedIn.
I encourage you to reach out to these people during this season. I am confident they will be happy to hear from you. Life can get so busy for many of us, rushing from project to project, meeting to meeting, and deadline to deadline.
It really is acceptable to take a pause. Think about those men and women who helped you become the leader you are today and the leader you will become in the future. Reach out to them and let them feel your gratitude.
I am grateful to you for subscribing to this weekly newsletter, and I hope you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
I will be taking a break over the Thanksgiving weekend and will “see you” again on Sunday, December 8.
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry