12MinuteLeadership

Episode 29: The Leadership Power of Gratitude | 12MinuteLeadership

• Elise Boggs Morales • Season 1 • Episode 29

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In this week's episode, Elise shares how gratitude functions as a practical leadership strategy that builds trust, boosts creativity, and strengthens commitment. Then, she  highlights unexpected ways gratitude shows up at work and gives simple tools you can use this week.

You'll learn:

• why gratitude interrupts problem-focused thinking
• how appreciation increases commitment, not complacency
• the difference between compensation and connection
• gratitude for effort, not just outcomes
• valuing productive pushback and truth telling
• recognizing progress and messy growth
• surfacing invisible work that keeps teams moving
• 60-second meeting check-in to shift energy
• using specific praise to shape behavior
• five-minute gratitude rounds to lift engagement
• opening challenging conversations with authentic appreciation
• practicing gratitude across and up the organization

Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode.You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then, go to my website and check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. 



Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.

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Speaker:

Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast, where in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, Elise Boggs Morales, leadership professor, consultant, and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to trade compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance, and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results? 12 minutes starts now. Hi everyone, Elise here. Welcome to episode 29. It's the week after Thanksgiving, a perfect moment to slow down, reflect, and talk about one of the most underrated leadership skills, gratitude. We often think of gratitude as something personal, something we practice in our relationships or our families. But the truth is, gratitude is one of the most powerful tools you can bring into your leadership. Not because it's nice, but because gratitude, when practiced intentionally, transforms people, teams, culture, and performance. So today I want to explore why gratitude matters in leadership, unexpected ways gratitude actually shows up in effective leaders, and practical ways to apply gratitude to your team, starting this week. So let's dive in. So why does gratitude matter in leadership? Leadership is demanding. We carry pressure, decisions, expectations, outcomes, and because we're always problem solving, our brains naturally scan what's missing, wrong, or broken. Gratitude interrupts that pattern. It's not denial, it's direction. It reorients our leadership towards what we want to grow. What we focus on expands. And when leaders focus on strengths, progress, and effort, people rise. Studies show that teams who experience gratitude from leadership have higher engagement, greater creativity, better problem solving, lower turnover, and stronger trust. Not because gratitude is fluffy, but because gratitude activates belonging, and belonging activates performance. So before I continue to build a case for why incorporating gratitude into your leadership is so important, I want to acknowledge something that often goes unspoken for some leaders. Some leaders fear that too much gratitude will make people complacent. They think, why should I thank someone for doing their job? If I praise them too much, won't they slack off? Or isn't their paycheck the recognition? That mindset misunderstands motivation. People aren't motivated by gratitude because they want to coast. They're motivated by gratitude because they want to contribute. Here's what the research shows. Employees who feel valued work harder, stay longer, solve more problems, and take greater ownership, not less. Gratitude doesn't lower standards, it raises commitment. A paycheck compensates people, but gratitude connects people. Pay tells someone what they're worth to the company, but gratitude tells someone what they're worth to you. Leaders don't express gratitude to create comfort, they express gratitude to fuel commitment. So now that I've addressed those leaders that may be hesitant to incorporate gratitude into their leadership, I want to share some unexpected ways that gratitude shows up for effective leaders. Most people think that gratitude is just saying thank you, but in leadership, it shows up in far more profound ways. So let's talk about a few unexpected ones. One is gratitude for effort, not just outcomes. One of my favorite books on this topic is Mindset by Carol Dweck. And in the context of leadership, strong leaders don't just celebrate wins, they celebrate the behaviors that lead to wins. The person who stayed late to solve a problem, the team member who asked a courageous question, the leader who admitted a mistake, or the employee who tried something new, even if it didn't work. When you recognize effort, people feel safe to keep stretching. That's how innovation happens. Another way that gratitude unexpectedly shows up in leadership is gratitude for productive pushback. This one surprises people. Gratitude isn't just for agreement, it's also for challenge. Great leaders appreciate the team member who asks the tough questions, points out risks, offers a different perspective, and will tell you the truth instead of what you want to hear. It's gratitude expressed as openness. Gratitude in this case says, I value your courage, I value your honesty, I value your voice. And that kind of gratitude builds psychological safety, which is the foundation of high-performing teams. Another way gratitude shows up unexpectedly is gratitude for growth, even when it's messy. Leaders who practice gratitude don't just praise perfection, they appreciate progress. They notice, acknowledge, and say things like, you handle that conversation better than last time, or you're growing in how you collaborate. And I see how much work you're doing behind the scenes. Gratitude turns development into motivation rather than fear. And finally, another way that gratitude shows up in unexpected ways in leadership is gratitude for the invisible work. Every team has invisible work, the emotional labor, the organization, the preparation, the relationship building, the little fixes that keep things moving. Don't forget to thank your IT guy. Thanking people for what often goes unnoticed is one of the most powerful ways to build loyalty and morale. So as we close things up, I'm gonna share some practical ways to apply gratitude and leadership this week with your team and any week. First is the 60-second gratitude check-in. At the beginning of a meeting, ask what's one thing or one person you're grateful for this week? It takes 60 seconds but completely shifts the energy in the room. Another is the specific praise rule. General gratitude, like, great job, feels good, but specific gratitude changes behavior. Try something like, I appreciate how you blank because it made this impact. People repeat what gets recognized. Another is gratitude rounds for your team. Pick three team members this week and for each one answer these questions. What do they do consistently well? What is the strength that they bring that the team may overlook? What is something you appreciate about them as a person, not just a role? Then tell them. It takes five minutes and it skyrockets engagement. Another is gratitude in difficult conversations. Here's something counterintuitive. Gratitude isn't just for easy moments, it's one of the most disarming tools in a difficult conversation. Before giving feedback, begin with gratitude for their effort, their intention, their contributions, something they do well. It lowers defenses and helps people stay open to growth. And finally, practice gratitude up, not just down. Don't forget your peers, your leaders, your mentors, your clients. Great leaders express gratitude horizontally and upward, not just downward. Send one unexpected message this week, letting somebody know something they've done that you really appreciate. Gratitude strengthens relationships in every direction. So in closing, and to recap, gratitude isn't a holiday sentiment only. It's a leadership strategy. It builds trust, it strengthens culture, it accelerates performance, and it reminds people that their work matters and that they matter. So my reflection question for you this week is where can you practice gratitude in a way that strengthens a relationship or shapes your culture? And one more, who needs to hear something from you this week that you've been thinking about but haven't said out loud? Thank you so much for joining me. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. I'm grateful for every one of you who invests in your leadership and in the people you serve. I'll see you next time. Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then, go to my website and check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.