Gratitude: A Soft Skill for Leaders

Add gratitude to your leadership toolkit

Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash

Fall is my favorite season. The foliage, the cooler temperatures, cider donuts, and pumpkin beer, are all a good time. Fall is also a good time to start new things.

Leadership requires starting over more often than most admit. Goals change. Desired outcomes change. Personnel change. Leadership requires not only adaptability but gratitude for the opportunity to start fresh.

New opportunities seem to arise with the change in season. The end of summer closes one chapter. Fall opens more. It’s this opportunity to start something new or to start over that I’m grateful for.

Gratitude further contributes to our individual emotional intelligence. Employing sound EI, is a sought-after, essential skill for any industry.

In leadership, coming from a perspective of gratitude is essential. Why should a leader be grateful? The simple answer is that you get to lead.

Leadership is a privilege. Many think they can lead, but many cannot actually do it. To find yourself in a leadership role is a privileged opportunity.

Show a little gratitude for the fact you are the one others follow. Aside from having the title, you have an opportunity to shape others. You are more than just a manager of tasks.

You’re a coach, mentor, and career influencer. It is widely accepted people quit not because of the work, but because of their boss.

Do you want to be that boss? Do you want to be the reason others leave? I believe a leader should incorporate gratitude into their leadership toolkit. Being grateful and thankful for the opportunity to lead others will reflect in your work.

You will be the boss others want to work with. Your team will prosper and so will you.

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