Talking turkey: a win for grit you can do today

What you’ll find below:

1. Specific tactical ways to practice this engagement superpower

1. Gift ideas, links
2. What I’m reading now
3. Interesting and important

Thanksgiving may be over, but there’s one thing you shouldn’t put away. Gratitude.

What is gratitude?

It’s a mindset. It’s a decision. It’s the commitment to looking at the world through a lens of abundance, no matter what you face. It’s giving thanks for all you have— and all you may not.

But it’s also a powerful tool not only for leaders (certainly for leaders) but for all of us.

The science is solely in that the ripples of gratitude extend outward and into our community, but also within ourselves. Gratitude brings lower anxiety, less stress, better heart health, better sleep. It’s connected to better overall mental health AND physical health.

Looking ahead to gifts? I’m grateful for our partners at Monk Manual and Big Life Journal, both of whose missions and products align perfectly with the work at The Grit Institute. Monk Manual is the only planner I’ve stuck with, and truly enjoy using to plan and to consider— even to journal (enjoy 15% off your quarterly planner using the code SHANNONHPOLSON)! And Monk Manual incorporates gratitude as a part of your daily planning and assessments, too

It’s also the easiest way to increase engagement— and built YOUR Grit Factor!

For those leaders who make gratitude a habit and a practice, the ramifications within their organizations are huge. People understand leaders are busy, and the leader who writes thank you’s shows a particular kind of humility; they aren’t too big, or too important, or too busy to come alongside peers, support staff, employees or others with sincere connection.

Interesting and important:

Leaders who write their thank you’s— a lot

Consider Indra Nooyi, who decided to write thank you to the parents of her senior executives, thanking them for sharing their children with PepsiCo. Nooyi oversaw massive growth at PepsiCo, all while instituting programs supporting both people and the planet.

Or Doug Conant, who famously wrote over 30,000 thank you letters during his time as CEO of Campbell Soups.

“Some leaders think thank you “goes without saying” or that an employee’s paycheck is the thank you. It’s simply not the case. People want to hear it; they need to feel it,” says Conant.

Or Ralph Lauren, Estée Lauder, and Anna Winkler of Vogue— all famous for their thank you letters.

How do you get started with this engagement super-power?

Begin with keeping cards available and visible on your desk. (These are nice to start). A nice pen that inspires you will help, too.

How to write a perfect thank you note

And what about how to write a powerful thank you note? It doesn’t have to be lengthy and involved, but there are a few points which will ensure success:

1. Start with a warm greeting or salutation— Dear So and So, is just fine.
2. Be specific, not general. What specifically are you thanking them for?
3. Be forward looking. Mention how this will help looking into the future.

The Gratitude 101 training handout is free for paid subscribers, and the training (available end of this week) is just the cost of a few lattes— given your return on this kind of investment, you can’t afford NOT to take advantage of it.

With love and to your grit,

Shannon

PS: What I’m reading (with links to Bookshop if you’re looking for gifts for yourself or others):

1. The Razor’s Edge, by W. Somerset Maugum. Somehow this novel is in perfect alignment with what I’m writing about purpose right now. Dear Larry. He is defining purpose for himself, and everyone thus far is quite perplexed.
2. The Divine Comedy, Book 1, by Dante Alighieri. Another classic I’m catching up on, and it’s incredible. Not only that, it somehow ALSO is connected to what I’m writing now. In the lowest level of hell, are those who have mingled “with that wicked choir of heavenly angels who did not rebel. Not were they pledged to God, but to themselves.”
3. The Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, by Amy Edmondson. Thoroughly enjoying the work that encourages us to continue to push in the places where we can grow— and understand growth involves failure. Success includes failure. As you know from The Grit Factor: it’s not failure that matters. It’s what you do with it that counts.