“What we are grateful for multiplies.”
Unknown
Leading with Gratitude Starts Small
Gratitude didn’t always come easy for me. It’s probably why I write about it frequently now, I’ve learned over the years what a tremendous difference it can make, for others, and for oneself.
For a long time, I thought leadership was about pushing forward—driving, achieving, always chasing what’s next. If we hit the goal, I was already on to the next one. Wins were expected, not celebrated.
But somewhere along the way, I realized I was missing it. Missing the people. Missing the progress. Missing the quiet victories happening every day.
That’s when I started leading with gratitude.
Not as a “soft skill.” Not as something you sprinkle on when things are good. But as a discipline—something you build into the way you lead and live.
I was so focused on the mountain ahead that I never turned around to see how far we’d come. I was living in what Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy call The Gap. Measuring myself and my team against the ideal—the future state we hadn’t yet reached. Always looking forward, never looking back. If you haven’t read The Gap and The Gain, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy. It might change your life.
Gratitude Sharpens What You See
When I started pausing—really pausing—to notice what was working, something shifted.
I didn’t stop seeing the problems; I just started seeing the progress, too.
A teammate who stayed late to get it right.
A hard conversation that made us better.
A small win on a big project.
I saw the work that often gets overlooked. And when I acknowledged it, the team leaned in. They knew I saw them. And that changed the way we worked together.
Gratitude Builds Trust
People follow leaders who see them.
Not just their output—but their effort, their heart.
When I started thanking people—not for perfection, but for showing up, for trying, for caring—trust took root.
And trust? It’s the foundation of everything.
Gratitude Is a Choice—Every Day
Some days, it’s easy. Some days, it’s not.
Deadlines press. Mistakes happen. Stress builds.
That’s when leading with gratitude matters most.
Because gratitude isn’t about pretending things are perfect. It’s about seeing what’s good—right in the middle of the hard stuff.
So, what’s good today?
Who needs to hear “I see you”?
Who needs to know their work matters?
Start there.
Say it.
Mean it.
That’s leading with gratitude.
