Leading with Gratitude

December 16, 2019
“The expression of gratitude for employees’ efforts... can be a huge motivation and productivity booster,” observe Gostick and Elton, cofounders of a training company, the Culture Works, and authors of The Carrot Principle, who labor to stretch out a full book on this simple principle. Gratitude, they propose, is good for teams, individuals, and the bottom line, and mastering its practice and expression can help managers engage and inspire their workforce. The coauthors present statistics, derived from a research study they commissioned, demonstrating that appreciative bosses have better motivated and more effective employees, but the only effect is to put numbers behind what everyone already knows. Gostick and Elton break down myths including fear is the best motivator, kids these days are too approval-hungry, and good managers parcel out praise sparingly, then walk readers through how to express gratitude meaningfully and encourage intra-team recognition. The book hinges on eight gratitude practices (such as “tailor to the individual,” “assume positive intent,” and “walk in their shoes”), which could be easily covered in a listicle. Chatty and friendly but ultimately skeletal, this is a better elevator pep talk than it is a full-length primer. Agent: James Levine, Levine Greenberg Rostan.

January 1, 2020

Gostick and Elton, cofounders of global training company The Culture Works, expound upon the belief that gratitude is a mental state that can improve well-being and have a positive impact on one's ability to live a happier life. The authors believe that gratitude is one of the most critical skills for leaders to learn, and maintain that when it is authentic, specific, and timely, it can boost employee motivation and productivity. Gostick and Elton also present and debunk myths standing in the way of expressing gratitude. With plentiful stories and subtle humor to illustrate these myths, the authors set the stage for later chapters, in which they describe and demonstrate eight simple ways of showing gratitude, along with easy to follow examples and advice. Gratitude can be applied not only in the workplace but in one's family and social life, too. Keeping a gratitude journal is encouraged: start small, if necessary, but start today. VERDICT For managers focused on motivation and productivity and anyone else seeking advice on how to express thankfulness.--Bonnie A. Tollefson, Rogue Valley Manor Lib., Medford, OR

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2019
Too many business books aimed at leaders and aspiring leaders meander in their diagnoses and solutions, and ultimately present a too-complex matrix of recommendations for people with already too little time. Repeated co-authors Gostick and Elton (The Best Team Wins, 2018; What Motivates Me, 2014) do it right. They understand their audience, sell their concept by using well-known business personalities and case histories, and provide just the appropriate number of principles and examples for readers to begin to live by the concept, too. The concept, in this case, is gratitude, a much-lauded attribute to adopt for both work and life. Leading with gratitude, the authors affirm, will rev up productivity, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction (with the numbers to prove it). Among the eight recommendations, which are divided by "seeing" and "expressing," readers will find: solicit and act on input, walk in their shoes, tailor to the individual, and make it peer to peer. If the likes of Ford's Alan Mulally, American Express' Ken Chenault, and Best Buy's Hubert Joly include gratitude as an everyday occurrence, why not start a viral business campaign to tout its efficacy? Bravo! Includes notes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)