The Power of Gratitude in the Workplace

Have you ever wondered how powerful a simple heartfelt “thank you” can be when it comes to motivating people to out-perform themselves?

For the past five months, I have been coaching a very high-potential leader. It took a while for us to build our relationship to the point where she could trust me and open up. A few weeks ago, we were beginning a brainstorming session with seven other leaders, and I posed a check-in question:

What motivates you at work?

When this leader’s turn came, she looked at me and said, “I feel motivated when I share the effort I put into something, and irrespective of what the result might be, Rashmi says, ‘Awesome, Thank you!’ That makes me feel happy and appreciated to do more.”

I was both pleasantly surprised and humbled by hearing this. I realized that every word I say, in every conversation either strengthens, weakens, or maintains that relationship.

That is a secret to long-term success in building high-performing teams.

Of course, it’s not as if leaders and managers don’t care. Most often, they are just so busy ‘doing’ that there is no time for ‘being’ the leaders that they desire to be and to work with. This seems to be the case across all levels of leaders, irrespective of domain or industry.

Since that conversation – that simple act of gratitude – I have been able to find more evidence to strengthen the discovery that, as human beings, we all like to be seen, heard, and valued for who we are.

How can we bring the emotional connection back into workplaces?

For one, we could recognize people for their efforts and not just the end result.
And, we could consider how we can lift up others in every conversation.

How can we show gratitude for everything our teams do and value them for who they are?

While we might not have a definitive answer, I certainly am working on incorporating this into my work, practicing it every day, in every conversation.

Have you told anyone how great they were today?

A photo of Rashmi Fernandes wearing a light gray blazer.

About the Author

Rashmi Fernandes works with leaders and teams to co-create outcomes that lead to agility and positive team culture, while focusing on strategic alignment. She specializes in enabling product teams to focus on customer centricity and arrive at shared understanding towards a common purpose. As an Innovation Catalyst, she coaches teams on how to take an idea from concept to life.

She has led many enterprise-wide initiatives like Product Conferences, Product & Scrum Master Communities of Practice & Leadership Development Programs. Her passion for her community in India brought together an initiative that provides a platform for more than 1,000 underprivileged children to play sports.

Connect with Rashmi on LinkedIn.

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