Gratitude has been a popular theme this summer. Recently, I've seen it everywhere: at startups I've visited, among employees at larger companies, and even on a message board in a café in the West Village. It's been an impressive season for giving thanks!
Whether it is front and center and declared as a value or a subtler element of strategic operations, many of the companies I've befriended benefit from gratitude's lasting effects. A culture that personally gives thanks and recognizes hard work impresses folks because it is a genuine mark of relationship building.
How one value can communicate your company culture
The culture at Life is Good centers on optimism. When interviewing a candidate, the folks at Life is Good have focused their search on one question – 'What are you grateful for?' The response immediately indicates whether or not the person is a good fit.
Inspiring gratitude
I had the good fortune of hearing Simon Sinek speak recently; his talk touched upon studies of how happiness is linked to biochemical reactions in our brain. Hormones are released when people experience kindness, pride, and self-confidence, and the result is often a feeling of gratitude. If you are facing a workplace culture crisis and looking to revive a bit of happiness among your team, take a cue from Simon and start with why you want to inspire stronger relationships.
Peer appreciation
Leaders who foster happiness and emphasize the importance of relationship building have a team uniquely bound by personal experiences and connections. It sounds warm and fuzzy, but it has also proven to drive success and growth.
Next Jump is a humble organization that has cultivated gratitude without sacrificing authenticity despite growing to a company of over 200 across four offices. Their peer-nominated Avengers Award Ceremony recognizes Next Jumpers who most exemplify steward-leadership. Their mission, Better Me + Better You = Better Us, guides them along a continuous path of gratitude.
Barrel, a digital creative agency in New York City, has a regular practice of peer appreciation. Bourbon in hand, the team convenes on Friday afternoons to give thanks to others for their help and for getting stuff done.
Societal shift?
Are trends in gratitude more than just a startup or workplace culture phenomenon? With the influx of Millennials in the workforce, demands for making a contribution to something greater while reaping the benefits of such satisfaction are on the rise. This isn't purely a startup culture phenomenon, but elements of gratitude and happiness are easily observed from this quickly evolving ecosystem.