Archive for the ‘leader leadership gratitude thankfulness thank you journal’ Category

My clients are on overwhelm! It doesn’t seem to matter what organization they are in or what position they have within that organization.

A common goal for leaders is to be “agile”. Essentially, agility is the ability to change directions quickly. This often requires fast decision making.

Most leaders claim it is impossible to put “reflection time” into their day. Yet often, simply blocking out 15 minutes of time once a day to THINK about a big decision, strategy or direction can make a huge difference. Some prefer to journal. Some prefer to have a discussion partner (or a coach). Some meditate.

Even when I was an executive in a Fortune 500, raising a family, traveling for business, and active in a local non profit, I understood the importance of having that reflective time and blocked it out twice a day (total of 40 minutes a day). For me, this time has always taken the form of meditation. I missed only a handful of these precious sessions in my entire career.

I really believe in the importance of a reflective practice to leadership. Try it, I think you’ll find that with some discipline (no excuses for missing it!), 15 minutes a day to reflect will make you a better leader and increase agility.

Leaders have good days and bad days (see blog post on “Imperfect Servant”), just like everyone else. I often urge clients to keep “Gratitude Journal”, especially during the toughest of times. Here is how it works:

Each evening, before the lights go out, make a list of the things that come to mind that you are grateful for – don’t stop until you have a minimum of five. Bullet points are fine, and it usually takes less than 5 minutes to do this. It encourages intentionality about what you may be grateful for.

As an evening activity, this allows assimilation (maybe even a dream or two) around thankfulness. Amazing. Better than a sleeping pill, more uplifting than anti-depressants. I mostly don’t think too hard about what should be written. Some of my own entries include fresh snow and slippery roads, my pug’s snore as he sleeps, my husband assisting me to find my car keys, even back pain (a significant force in my life recently; but I know that time will reveal it’s purpose).

For leaders, this journal can be a starting place for discovering and taking action on who they need to thank in their workor other life – and for what. Gratitude is sorely missing in the work place, and a leader who sincerely (and regularly) models the art of saying “thank you” will impact the workplace more than she can fathom.