Gratitude is one of the most powerful forces in shaping healthy ministry. Lewis Center Director Jonathan Page offers five practical ways to intentionally “begat” gratitude in the communities we serve. His reflection invites leaders to see gratitude not as something extra, but as a simple daily practice that forms teams, strengthens relationships, and grounds our leadership.
When I was in high school, a youth pastor challenged me to read the Bible from cover to cover. Genesis was generally great. Exodus had enough stories to keep me captivated. Leviticus felt very legalistic and long in the tooth, but I had a goal in mind that I had to reach.
And then I got to Numbers. The first chapter had a lot of “begatting” (i.e. Reuben begat Simeon, Simeon begat Judah, etc.), which was a real preview of things to come. The genealogies got to me. I gave up on my epic quest to read the whole Bible and re-discovered my more common practice of saying a prayer and picking up a PlayStation controller.
Fast forward a few years to my seminary days. Early in my first year, the Old Testament survey course required students to read all of Numbers for one class session. Back to the “Ancestry.com of the Bible” I went. But this time instead of finding boredom, I found a spark. I sensed the Holy Spirit offering a renewed vision of this historic text, which was that these were all the stories that were foundational to me being in the place where I could reflect on these scriptures. The lives that had been lived, even if signaled only by a name drop in an oft-overlooked section of the Biblical text, had in some sense “begat” the world in which we now live.
This was a reminder to me that we are always a “begat” people. We have come from something, and we will leave something behind.
I find this is a helpful frame for thinking about how we want to serve in leadership capacities. What is it that we want to bring from our past with intention into our present, and what is it that we want to carry forward from our present into the future?
One element I hope any leader would want to inherit and pass on in their leadership is a sense of gratitude. The presence of gratitude fosters joy, warmth, and empathy. The absence of gratitude can create hostility, animosity, and indifference in an organization.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I believe it is helpful to consider how gratitude is “begat” in our leadership. Below, I suggest five strategies that I believe can cultivate a culture of gratitude in teams and communities that leaders are guiding.
1. Start with gratitude.
Early in my career, I heard a story of a pastor who started her day with 30 minutes blocked to complete two core activities: First, to spend 15 minutes in prayer giving thanks for her church, the community the church served, and all that would happen in the day ahead. After that time of prayer, she would handwrite a thank you note to someone in the church or wider community offering gratitude for something specific that person had done or said.
Imagine this being your daily orientation to the work ahead. This kind of behavior self-orients leaders toward a posture of gratitude. Consider blocking 15-30 minutes at the beginning of your day to offer intentional, gratitude-focused prayer and writing a thank you note to someone.
2. Form affirmation circles.
If you find that you are working with people in any capacity, whether leading a team at work or gathering at a dinner table at home, consider a weekly practice of affirmation circles. The idea in this is to affirm something in or about a person at the table with you and then invite that person to affirm something in or about another person at the table. This practice continues around the table until everyone has been affirmed. Developing a consistent and authentic rhythm of this requires the whole team to be on the lookout for opportunities to affirm one another and can shape the culture of the organization or family system being led.
3. Practice intentional communication.
Many leaders have consistent tools to communicate with teams like a weekly email update, monthly newsletter, or quarterly report. Consider using space in existing tools like this to highlight stories of gratitude. Ideally, this is offering public thanks to people in your network for something specific. But this could also be highlighting a story that is worth sharing related to gratitude or giving an example of the impact someone’s work or efforts have had that you are wanting to appreciate.
4. Shape evaluations with gratitude.
Consider how gratitude can be integrated as a part of performance or event evaluations. This may sound counterintuitive, but it is important to consider how a spirit of gratitude in these spaces can shape the way feedback is received and implemented. For example, if a volunteer didn’t follow through on an expected task, what would it look like to say “Thank you for trying, and thankfully we will have another chance to do this. What if we tried this strategy instead?” The spirit of gratitude allows leaders to share truths that may be challenging in ways that don’t invite shame or humiliation into the conversation.
5. Receive gratitude gracefully.
Finally, consider not only how you are giving gratitude, but how you are receiving it. How do you respond when someone compliments you on a job well done or thanks you for leading in a certain way or space? I have a tendency to shy away and redistribute this kind of gratitude. Recently, a mentor observed me doing this and asked a follow up question that struck me: “Was that about humility or insecurity? Because humility reveals your soul, but insecurity reveals your ego.” In a sense he was saying that insecurity craves that kind of praise in an ego-boosting manner and to take care that you aren’t reacting in a way that solicits a particular response. Think about how you can ensure your response to gratitude is genuine, and when you are deferential, do so with humility rather than insecurity.
There are many other ways to integrate gratitude into your leadership. The key to passing gratitude into your organization and beyond your leadership is to ensure it happens consistently, publicly, and with authenticity.
Related Resources
- 4 Ways to Help People Cultivate a Heart of Gratitude by Ann A Michel
- Don’t Forget to Say Thanks by Charles Lane
- Gratitude as Leadership by Andy Stanton
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