The ability for individuals to easily show appreciation and gratitude towards each other is a strong foundation for successful team culture. A habit of more freely sharing gratitude improves a sense of connectedness and strengthens a team’s ability to create even greater social impact.
Why appreciation is important.
Feeling appreciated makes a great difference to how you feel. At work, it can have a big impact on how happy and motivated you are.
Many are experiencing a greater sense of dissatisfaction in their workplace with the Great Resignation set to continue this year.
HR departments are scrambling to retain employees, at the heart of the solution lies human connection.
‘Meaningful relationships – where employees are heard, listened to and understood – are the foundation of retention’
Chris Westfall
Building greater ties and stronger connections within a team is really important. People need to feel connected to each other, working with and for each other rather than in competition.
A culture of showing appreciation and sharing gratitude can be key to unlocking a greater sense of connectedness within a team.
Anyone can do it, it doesn’t cost you anything and it makes a massive difference.
It’s one team culture activity that really doesn’t cost anything but can lead to a number of rewards.
Showing your appreciation to others makes them feel happier. It leads to them feeling valued and more driven.
Practicing gratitude with others is a great way of strengthening and building stronger relationships. For instance, it improves our sense of connectedness to one another and reinforces positive behaviours and actions.
In turn this can lead to building stronger relationships with others outside of our team. And allow us to broaden and deepen our professional networks.
So when it comes to wanting to create a greater social impact as a team, the ability to practice gratitude and share appreciation can be really beneficial.
If appreciation and gratitude can lead to a greater sense of connectedness, they can be useful tools to build better relationships that help to establish a level of trust and understanding.
The benefits for individuals
It’s not a one way street. Showing appreciation and sharing our gratitude has a number of proven benefits and positive effects for ourselves.
Gratitude can help us to feel part of something larger than just ourselves as individuals. It opens us up to a greater sense of recognition, acknowledgement and appreciation. It broadens our capacity to care and strengthens our emotional intelligence.
Research shows that there are strong links between gratitude and feeling greater happiness. Gratitude allows us to feel more positive emotions, we appreciate and delight in positive experiences more. This leads to a more positive outlook and mental health, while also allowing us to better experience adversity.
How to start practicing gratitude today
In our busy lives and busy minds, it can be all too easy to forget to share why we truly appreciate our connections. Be it partners, friends, relatives, professional contacts or our team members.
Here are a few prompts to help you start sharing more appreciation to those you’re connected to.
Why not tell someone why they make a difference:
- Who lifts your mood?
- Is there someone on your team who always gives you a fresh perspective?
- Who supports you and helps you navigate tricky decisions?
- Is there someone who is always willing to listen to you as you process challenging situations?
- What about that individual that you love to get creative with?
- Or is there someone who is simply great for a laugh?
Reach out, send them a message or tell them the next time you see them just why you appreciate them.
It will not only make you feel more positive, it may just make their day feel a little easier and brighter too.
Do you or your team need support to build in new practice to strengthen your connectedness and social impact? Find out how we can work with you here.
