Thank YouNote from Art: This is an annual post at Management Excellence, offered in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. It’s a nice time for leaders to pause and recognize the many reasons they have to be thankful for the privilege of serving. 

A Leader’s Reasons to be Thankful: 

  • Be grateful for your unique chance to serve others. It is a privilege.
  • Be thankful for the patience and forbearance that your colleagues and team-members show as you learn over time and through trial and error what it truly means to lead.
  • Give thanks for your chance to learn everyday from others.
  • Be thankful for those that came before you and took the time to pass along their wisdom…even if you didn’t realize how valuable it was until much later.
  • Be grateful for the opportunity to positively impact lives in ways that few other jobs or professions provide. This is one job that impacts others for a lifetime.
  • Be thankful for the opportunity to motivate, coach and teach those that invest valuable time in their lives and careers with you.
  • Be grateful for those who choose to follow you. Without them, you’re not a leader.
  • Give thanks for the opportunity that you have to create value for your organization.  You might not engineer new products or services, but get this job right and you will enable many others to create, engineer, build and add value.
  • Be thankful for the headaches of daily leadership. Without the problems, your opportunity to lead doesn’t exist.
  • Give thanks for your chance to participate in the journey of a lifetime.
  • And most of all, just give thanks by speaking up and remembering that a well-placed, heartfelt “Thank you” is one of the most powerful and important of all leadership tools.

And yes, please accept my sincere Thank You for your readership and conversation.  I am truly grateful for you.

-Art

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More Professional Development Reads from Art Petty:book cover: shows title Leadership Caffeine-Ideas to Energize Your Professional Development by Art Petty. Includes image of a coffee cup.

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