Gratitude

This document contains stories of people being grateful and of failing to be grateful. (The titles next to people’s names are their titles at the time the story occurred and may not be their title currently.) Discussing diverse situations in which people failed or succeeded to live up to their values often helps people to recognize and act on other opportunities when they arise. By discussing these stories in meetings, on teams, over internet or intranet forums, or in classrooms, groups can come up with ideas for leading with exceptional gratitude, learn each other’s perspectives, work through disagreements, and generate ideas.  The teaching note is included.

Leading with gratitude on remote teams helps team members to think of each other more, and thus remember to inform others of things they might otherwise forget. It helps team members feel appreciated, and this more inclined to collaborate. It helps employees feel less controlled by their bosses and more appreciated instead. It becomes the foundation of a culture of thanksgiving. Further, gratitude also provides many other personal and social benefits—the research on gratitude and its benefits is now quite extensive.