Our thoughts play a massive factor in our mental health, relationships, and productivity.
Have you considered helping your employees have more positive thoughts while on the job? Being grateful is a great way to get there.
This blog post is a recap of our live stream on Having an Attitude of Gratitude with Logan Mallory, VP of Marketing at Motivosity and a huge proponent of gratitude. You can check it out below.
The Power of Gratitude
Robert Emmons, Ph.D. in Psychology, says that there are two components to gratitude:
- Affirmation of goodness
- Recognizing that the source of goodness is outside of ourselves
Gratitude makes you think outside of yourself and appreciate those around you. It is a relationship-strengthener, a contagious positive emotion.
Mallory explains why gratitude should be a key component of any company culture and why it isn't always intuitive. "That emotion [gratitude] probably isn't as natural or intuitive in the workplace. We think about, we've got to get stuff done, we've got to be efficient, we've got to get the work done. But really, these relationships we have at work, work better when they're collaborative, and it's easier to be collaborative and be better team members when gratitude is a common emotion in the workplace... People can do more in an environment of kindness and gratitude."
Motivosity's #ThanksMatter campaign is a great example of this in action.
The idea is that expressing gratitude doesn't need to be grand gestures. Even small acts of gratitude, like thanking someone for cleaning the office, can make a huge difference.
Mallory has found success in transforming culture into a grateful one by expressing gratitude consistently, even for the small things.
Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude journaling is one of the most popular ways to make gratitude a habit, and for a good reason.
"It is less about the active writing it down, and it's more the exercise that you put in your mind as you are doing it," explains Joseph Draschil, CXO at Nivati.
Journaling gets you into the habit of thinking about the good things in your life. Making this a habit can help you have a consistent attitude of gratitude.
Gratitude also helps you focus more on others than yourself.
Grateful people are more emotionally intelligent, less likely to be depressed, and less lonely. "Gratitude is proven to be a cause of positive outcomes," says Draschill.
Gratitude is great for our mood, but it can also help us be more productive in all areas of life. When we are happier and have a more positive outlook, we have more energy and are more effective. Draschill says, "[Gratitude] is a driver for performance I wouldn't normally have."
For more on the positive benefits of gratitude journaling on mental health, check out this study by Berkley.
Gratitude Improves Company Culture
"If you want to have an environment where people thrive, where you're retaining talent, gratitude is a really easy way to make those things happen within your company." - Logan Mallory, VP of Marketing at Motivosity
Motivosity conducted a survey on the impacts of gratitude on culture. Here are two key findings:
- "3/4 of our respondents said their mental health would likely improve if they received more appreciation and recognition at work."
- "People were 196% more likely to recommend a workplace when gratitude is a part of the company culture."
You can find some of Motivosity's research on gratitude here.
Expressing gratitude to others (and expressing gratitude yourself) can help people foster positive mental health. This helps people do better at everything they do.
You can get started by thanking your coworkers for helping you on a project or giving someone a shout-out for a job well done.
Watch the whole conversation below. Follow us on Linkedin to be notified of future live stream events.
Disclaimer
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