Gratitude Makes a Difference with Chester Elton
Love In Action now has listeners in 100 countries! That means that people around the world tune in every week to learn how to become the best version of themselves as a leader and as a person of extreme positive influence. This week’s honored guest is Chester Elton, one of the world’s top leadership and organizational culture experts, and co-author of multiple bestselling books. Chester is also the co-founder of The Culture Works, a global training firm that counsels Fortune 500 companies on employee engagement issues. He chats with Marcel Schwantes about his new book, Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results. They also talk about several gratitude practices that boost team performance, engagement and morale, while reducing turnover.Chester believes that when you're happy and feel valued at work, you're happy and engaged in your personal life. [6:10]Over 70% of workers are disengaged at work. [7:20]A highly engaged culture, or a culture of gratitude is “...a work group or an organization or group of people that … feel valued and rewarded when they make a difference,” Chester explains. Recognition means celebrating with someone in a way that’s meaningful to them. [7:33]Marcel asks why gratitude - something that is so necessary for human interaction - is missing in the workplace. Chester shares two reasons. [8:12]Chester shares an important lesson his father taught him: “Excuses, even when valid, are never impressive.” [11:17]The more you make time to praise and recognize the little things that are going well every day, the less time you have to spend replacing employees who disengage and ultimately leave. [12:10]Chester shares several stories of extraordinary leaders who incorporate gratitude into their leadership styles. [13:00]Leading with gratitude doesn’t mean letting people get away with things, Chester points out. “It's about having great conversations, putting people in a position to succeed. And when they succeed, reinforcing that great behavior with a simple thank you.” [18:25]Marcel and Chester discuss five of the eight gratitude practices in Chester’s book. Marcel urges listeners to practice them every day and how they lead people will improve. Two of these principles are:Walk in their shoes.Make gratitude peer to peer - allow your employees to recognize each other. [19:47]Gratitude is contagious. When people feel valued they want to be around the people that value them, and they also want to value others. [32:10]One very important leadership principle Chester emphasizes is, “The way you act as a leader gives everybody on your team permission to act the same way.” [32:28]Marcel and Chester talk about why leading through fear is still so prevalent. Chester shares a common misconception about leading with love and gratitude. 83% of employees would work harder for a leader that values and appreciates them, in contrast to just 30% who would work harder if they feared for their job. [33:25]“Don’t leave your best self at work,” Chester tells listeners. “Don’t leave your best self at home. Just be your best self.” [37:45]You can change your workplace culture from fear to love in the work by just starting, Chester says. He gives some simple and practical tips that leaders can implement at once. [38:15]Marcel quotes Chester’s book about taking gratitude home with us. Chester shares a few favorite gratitude practices such as journaling, and random acts of kindness. [41:57]Chester talks about two causes that are dear to his heart. [46:26]“Gratitude has nothing to do with your circumstances and everything to do with your heart,” Chester says. [48:15]Just be kind. [50:07]ResourcesTheCultureWorks.com LeadingWithGratitudeBook.com Camp CorralMentor International