cultivating an attitude of gratitude

Gratitude is usually spoken about in reference to personal relationships and circumstances. However, it is just as important for businesses.

Having an attitude of gratitude in business means recognising and appreciating all of the people that enable you to do what you do.

people are at the core of your business

You are constantly creating relationships in business.

This could be with your clients, partners, or your team. Showing them gratitude nurtures and strengthens these relationships.

Here are a few ways you can adopt an attitude of gratitude in your business:

1. showing gratitude to your customers

Customers are the lifeline of your business. Without them, you wouldn’t have a business. There are a number of other businesses they could have chosen to work with, but they chose you. Therefore, be appreciative of their time and decision to do business with you.

Depending on the industry in which you operate, your relationship with your customers can be deep and personal. Oftentimes, they are willing to open up and be vulnerable with you. Through your constant interaction, you learn about their fears, personal struggles or big decisions they are trying to make. Because of this, you need to show them that you appreciate their trust.

The more you show gratitude to your customers, the more they feel appreciated and loyal to you. This helps transition prospective customers into actual customers and even repeat customers. They can also be your biggest champions and recommend you to other people.

2. showing gratitude to your partners

Your business partners help you expand your network and access different opportunities. Saying thank you to them goes a long way in building these relationships.

The ways you choose to say thank you don’t have to be expensive or elaborate. You could send them thank you emails, a bottle of wine or a card.

They can also be a bit more elaborate, if you have the budget for it. To thank our Instagram community last year, we ran a giveaway. All our followers had to do was follow a few rules and they would stand a chance of winning a hamper of goodies.

Among the things in the hamper were the book Untamed by Glennon Doyle, a planner to help the winner stay organised, and tons of self-care goodies like candles, chocolates and body butters.

3. showing gratitude to your team

The work and efforts from your team make it possible for you to do what you do. They take a lot of work off your plate, enabling you to focus on the areas that you need to pay attention to. Therefore, they deserve to be appreciated.

One way of showing them your appreciation is by compensating them well for their work. In addition, show them that they are appreciated by listening to them. Listening to their feedback, suggestions and ideas shows them that you value their opinions and what they bring to the table.

Another way you could incorporate an attitude of gratitude within your team is by creating opportunities to bond with one another.

This could be through group activities that everyone is comfortable with. Consider things like bowling, karaoke or going out for drinks after work. The point is to make sure the team feels appreciated for all the work they do. As they get to know one another outside of work, it helps them work more cohesively back at the office.

having an attitude of gratitude even in adversity

Of course it’s impossible to maintain a positive mindset all the time. However, when times of hardship inevitably come by, adopting a more gratuitous mindset will help you feel better about the situation and enable you to learn from it.

It is about your perspective. Look at setbacks as learning opportunities. Sometimes what might seem like a setback, is actually an opportunity for you to refocus or re-examine your business.

For example, like a lot of businesses, you might be struggling to hire the right people. As a result, you might believe that you will never find the right fit and decide to take on the roles yourself. However, this takes your focus away from the areas that require your attention.

Instead, review the situation and consider what might be going wrong. What could you do differently next time? What do you need from an employee? Perhaps you need to review your recruitment processes in order to make better decisions in the future.

Be grateful for the opportunity to learn from difficult situations. This is how we evolve and grow.

over to you

What are you most grateful for today? Let us know in the comment section below!