The Deeper Side of Gratitude in Leadership

Thanksgiving tends to come with the same ritual every year. Everyone goes around the table and says what they’re grateful for.

And most of us default to the familiar script: family, friends, health, opportunity. All true. All good. Everything we should be grateful for… and all a little too surface-level.

It’s the same way many of us treat gratitude at work. A quick thank-you. A polite shoutout. A moment of appreciation before we move on to the next task.

Useful, much needed, and many times appreciated… but also surface-level.

The longer I lead and coach, the more I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t just something we say. It’s something we notice.

It sharpens your awareness of where your team is actually growing. It helps you notice who’s carrying extra weight. It brings attention to the habits or expectations that may be draining more than they’re helping. And it reminds you of the steady contributions that keep everything running. The ones that are easy to miss because they happen so reliably.

That kind of noticing is a leadership skill.

Because leaders who practice deeper gratitude don’t just boost morale. They catch problems earlier. They reinforce what actually matters. They help people feel supported in the moments that matter most. And their teams feel seen in the ways that build trust.

So if you take a moment today to reflect, I hope you will go one layer deeper than the typical answers. Notice one thing your team does that makes your work possible… and one thing you might need to improve so they can thrive.

As for me, I’m deeply grateful for the growth I’ve experienced this year. For taking steps toward the kind of work I want to do. And for the people who’ve supported me through the harder seasons, encouraged me, and helped me keep moving forward.

Gratitude may start as a small acknowledgment, but when practiced with intention, it becomes a way of leading.