Resilient Leadership for Turbulent Times by Patterson Jerry L.;Goens George A.;Reed Diane E.; & George A. Goens & Diane E. Reed

Author:Patterson, Jerry L.;Goens, George A.;Reed, Diane E.; & George A. Goens & Diane E. Reed
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1127667
Publisher: R&L Education

Action Strategy: Resilient Leaders Feel a Deep Spiritual Gratitude for the Opportunity to Pursue a Calling of Leadership, Especially During Tough Times

Gratitude is generally acknowledged as a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for something given to us, be it tangible or intangible. Personally, gratitude may be expressed for family and good health. Professionally, leaders may be grateful to others for extending the calling to lead. To channel their gratitude, leaders must recognize intellectually that which they value, acknowledge willingly that for which they are grateful, and appreciate emotionally the goodness they are given (Emmons, 2007, p. 5). Without gratitude, leaders cannot acknowledge those people, circumstances or events that enable them to lead effectively. In Emmons’ words, “We could not be who we are or where we are in life without the contributions of others” (Emmons, 2007, p. 5).

The benefits of gratitude are substantial, personally and professionally. On the personal level, recent research (Emmons, 2007) asserts that when people systematically engage in cultivating an “attitude of gratitude,” they experience a variety of measurable benefits, including psychological, physical, and interpersonal. Specifically, adults who kept gratitude journals on a regular basis exercise more frequently, report fewer illness symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and are more optimistic about the future (p. 11) when compared with those who were asked to chronicle their daily troubles or to reflect on ways in which they were better off than others.

On a professional level, it is difficult to imagine how effective leaders function without regular recognition of gratitude for those with whom they work. Leader resilience is strengthened when leaders recognize that, even in the worst of times, goodness exists. This skill is part of the resilience thinking skills we examined in Chapter 2.

Leaders must recognize that there is a cycle to gratitude in which sometimes they are the recipient and, at other times, the giver of benefits. Not only do others contribute to leaders’ well-being, but also, as givers, leaders recognize the needs of others and are able to support those needs. The cycle allows leaders to receive with gratitude and to pass on the benefits they receive to others. On the other hand, mgratitude results in a reduction, a constricting, lesser sense of self. We associate emotions such as anger, defensiveness, bitterness, and resentment with ingratitude and recognize the confinement leaders feel when bound by “ingratitude.”

Developing the habit of gratitude is not an easy task. Even Albert Einstein struggled, “A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the full measure I have received and am still receiving.” Emmons (2007) recommended several research-based strategies that leaders can use to increase gratitude.

Keep a gratitude journal. Remind yourself in writing of the many benefits you receive and the people who contribute to your life. Being grateful and acknowledging the specifics reminds us of the goodness in life. No need to worry about sentence structure, grammar or mechanical; writing your thoughts is the goal.

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