Welcome to the Community of Practice

For Thanksgiving and Beyond...An Attitude of Gratitude

11/26/2019

Saying “thank you” is the ultimate win/win. Research shows that expressing gratitude increases feelings of personal well-being. As Americans approach our official day of giving thanks, perhaps all of us can take a moment to consider how we might make gratitude an ongoing part of our lives.

If you are looking for someone to practice your “thank you” on, start close to home. John Gottman, Executive Director of the Relationship Research Institute of Seattle says: “Masters of relationships have a habit of scanning the world for things they can thank their partner for. People whose relationships go down the tubes scan the world for their partner’s mistakes.” (Tweet it!)

What happened when you upped the level of thanks you expressed to people around you? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs.

4 Comments

Glen Hutchinson

11/26/2019 10:22:28 am

Hey guys I love saying thank you and look for opportunities all day long. In my experience a thank you is not quite complete without immediate and genuine recognition by way of a “you’re welcome”. I’ve actively tried this experiment with people I know. Everyone agrees the “thank you” becomes more viral if it’s genuinely recognised. The “you’re welcome” seems to complete the transaction between the two people. So I now go looking for opportunities to say “you’re welcome” as often and genuinely as I can. Something I have learned from my travels to the US, I believe the greatest all round service culture in the world.

Susan

11/26/2019 01:43:44 pm

What a good point Glen. Over time we’ve become turned off with “no problem” as a reply to our thank you....when we never implied there was a problem:) We like “you’re welcome” as you suggest ...or “my pleasure” or “of course”. Thanks for staying connected Glen.

James

12/3/2019 02:43:39 pm

I try to express gratitude, recognize other people's successes, and let people know when they have done something beneficial to others. The response is always good and I can see what you mean by the win/win.

However, in many cultures, more/less manners indicates less/more power between the two people. I have found that when expressing gratitude is mostly one-way, the result is that the recipient now sees me as an inferior and starts behaving like a superior.

It's an unintended consequence, and I know it'll happen again, but I'll keep on thanking people anyway.

susan

12/7/2019 05:15:26 pm

So many intercultural differences exist in communication...it is always a challenge to predict. You mention a cultural impact where the person being thanked begins to treat the other as an inferior. Yet, in some cultures the impact is that the person offering the recognition is seen as superior...hence in a position to evaluate what exceptional behavior is. Bottom line, we agree with you: Keep on doing it! Thanks for staying connected James.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

For Thanksgiving and Beyond...An Attitude of Gratitude

Leave a Reply.

Archives

Categories