Berger Leadership Blog

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on what you’re grateful for and to show appreciation for those around you. As leaders, we’re often focused on achieving goals and what it’ll take from our team to get there. But it’s equally important to show your employees gratitude for all the amazing work they do – feeling valued is an important component of success.

An article in Forbes underscores the importance of nurturing a company culture centered around appreciation and sharing thanks to those in the workplace. We’ve seen several shifts in labor force participation over the past few years as a result of the pandemic. Throughout the ebbs and flows, company culture is one of employees’ top metrics of job satisfaction.

Here are a few ways to celebrate your employees and show meaningful gratitude in the workplace:

1. Appreciate workers in addition to work: Find ways to recognize your colleagues for their work ethics and talents rather than just the tasks they accomplish. Acknowledge when a team member is eager to dive into new projects or when someone shows a willingness to help onboard new teammates. 
2. Find unique ways to say thanks: Be intentional when showing thanks. Think of tokens of appreciation that would mean a lot to your employees, whether it's a gift card to their favorite coffee shop or a new plant to add to their office decor.
3. Be interested: As a leader, others look to you as an example. Ask your team how they're doing outside of their work performance. This establishes a culture of compassion and shows that you care about them personally.
4. Extend gratitude outside of the workplace: Gratitude is a domino effect. Once you and your team begin putting it into practice, you’ll quickly see it will become a standard of workplace culture. That gratitude extends beyond your team and can reach vendors, business partners, and even social media audiences.
5. Appreciate you, too: Don’t forget to recognize your wins as a leader. Every person on the team plays a critical role in an organization’s success, you included, so make sure you are mindful and reward yourself for achieving those big goals!

Expressing intentional appreciation is such a meaningful workplace practice. Strong leaders who routinely exercise gratitude toward their team are often rewarded with motivated, happy, and innovative employees. Make sure you celebrate your team this holiday season!