{"id":1081,"date":"2024-11-28T14:14:40","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T14:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2024-11-28T14:44:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T14:44:15","slug":"how-to-show-gratitude-even-if-youre-a-bit-of-an-ahole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/how-to-show-gratitude-even-if-youre-a-bit-of-an-ahole\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Show Gratitude, Even If You&#8217;re a Bit of an A$$hole :)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;True leadership isn\u2019t just about achieving goals; it\u2019s about appreciating the people who make those goals possible.&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp;<br>                                                                                                                                                          \u2013 Brene Brown<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s face it &#8211; nobody\u2019s perfect, especially in leadership. If you\u2019re driven, opinionated, or results-driven, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve had moments (or seasons) where people would describe you as a \u201c<em>difficult<\/em>&#8221; leader.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe you\u2019ve been impatient, too blunt, or hyper-focused on goals to the point of forgetting the people behind them. (Finger pointing to myself as I type this)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But here\u2019s the good news: Leadership is in no way, shape, or form, about perfection. It\u2019s about progress \u2014 and gratitude is one of the easiest ways to make that progress, no matter where you\u2019re starting from.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"387\" src=\"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FB-sun-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1094\" style=\"width:432px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FB-sun-1.png 940w, https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FB-sun-1-300x124.png 300w, https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/FB-sun-1-768x316.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Gratitude is a multiplier.<\/em> It improves relationships and builds trust. But if you\u2019re the kind of leader who struggles to &#8220;soften their edges&#8221;, expressing gratitude might not come naturally. So, here are some practical ways you can show thankfulness this Thanksgiving season (even if you\u2019re still a work in progress like we all are).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Acknowledge Your Humanity <\/strong>&#8211; Start by being honest with yourself and your team. If you know you\u2019ve been a bit of a jerk sometimes, own it. A simple \u201cI know I can be tough sometimes, but I want you to know I see and value what you do\u201d can go a long way. People appreciate authenticity, even more than polished perfection. Admitting your flaws makes your gratitude feel genuine. Like my leadership influence Craig Groeschel says&nbsp;<em>&#8220;people would rather follow a leader that is real, than one that is always right&#8221;.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Be Specific in Your Thanks<\/strong> &#8211; A generic \u201cthanks\u201d doesn\u2019t cut it. Don\u2019t just tell someone, \u201cHey man, I appreciate you.\u201d Tell them why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI appreciate how you handled that pain in the butt customer last week. You kept your cool and represented our company with utmost integrity. THAT is how it&#8217;s done. &#8216;fist bump&#8217;\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThank you for staying later to make sure that backyard project hit the allocated man hours. I don\u2019t take your effort for granted.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Thank you for always keeping your truck and equipment nice and clean and maintained. I appreciate it more than you know.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Specificity shows that you\u2019re paying attention, even if you don\u2019t always say it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Use Your Leadership Style to Add Value<\/strong> &#8211; If you\u2019re the no-nonsense, action-oriented leader, you don\u2019t have to write long, emotional letters to express gratitude. Use your strengths:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Give team members opportunities to shine by taking on bigger projects or difficult&nbsp;to please clients.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advocate for their development and personal growth<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Publicly celebrate their wins or celebrations in a meeting with others or on your social media.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can&#8217;t express this enough that your actions can communicate gratitude just as powerfully as words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-base-2-background-color has-background has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;Thankfulness is the soil in which humility grows. A great leader never forgets the people who help them succeed.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Say It Out Loud<\/strong> &#8211; This might sound obvious, but don\u2019t underestimate the power of simply telling people you\u2019re grateful. Whether it\u2019s in a one-on-one meeting, a group setting, or a personal note, take the time to express appreciation. Leadership can be lonely, but your team doesn\u2019t know you value them unless you actually tell them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5. Reflect on What You\u2019re Thankful For<\/strong> &#8211; Gratitude isn\u2019t just for your team &#8211; it\u2019s also for you. Take time this Thanksgiving to reflect on what you\u2019re grateful for in your own leadership journey. Maybe it\u2019s the lessons learned from failures. Maybe it\u2019s the team that has stuck by you, even when things were tough and you weren\u2019t the easiest to work with. When you focus on gratitude, you\u2019ll find yourself leading with more grace!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ll tie a bow on this Thanksgiving share with this&#8230; Growth is all about progress over perfection. Being a leader means influencing others, even when you don\u2019t get everything right. Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to build connection and pursue growth for yourself and others &#8211; even if you\u2019re still working on softening your rough edges a bit!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So this Thanksgiving, and moving forward, don\u2019t aim to be the perfect leader. Aim to just be a grateful one. Gratitude doesn\u2019t just improve your team &#8211; it improves you. And who knows? With enough practice, you might not be such an asshole after all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;m grateful for all of y&#8217;all. Happy Thanksgiving! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your Leadership Amigo,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sam<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;True leadership isn\u2019t just about achieving goals; it\u2019s about appreciating the people who make those goals possible.&#8221;&nbsp; \u2013 Brene Brown Let\u2019s face it &#8211; nobody\u2019s perfect, especially in leadership. If you\u2019re driven, opinionated, or results-driven, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve had moments (or seasons) where people would describe you as a \u201cdifficult&#8221; leader.&nbsp; Maybe you\u2019ve &#8230; <a title=\"How to Show Gratitude, Even If You&#8217;re a Bit of an A$$hole :)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/how-to-show-gratitude-even-if-youre-a-bit-of-an-ahole\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Show Gratitude, Even If You&#8217;re a Bit of an A$$hole :)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gratitude","category-leadership","category-ownership"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1081"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1096,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions\/1096"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}