Gratitude isn’t comfortable. It’s your strategic edge in a world that celebrates hustle however typically forgets humanity.
In my journey spanning over 4 a long time throughout defence, corporates, and startups, I’ve led below hearth and mentored by means of failure. I’ve constructed multi-million-dollar companies and bootstrapped ventures. However one apply, quiet but enduring, has constantly elevated me by means of each section — a gratitude journal.
Not the type with fairly covers and poetic quotes. Only a every day, gritty reminder to note what’s working, even when nothing appears to be. Guess what? I preserve it in Excel sheets 😊-
Let me share how this straightforward ritual — two minutes a day with a pen or, like in my case, keystrokes — can remodel your management journey.
The stress was intense. Because the just lately appointed MD of the inland logistics portfolio, I confronted flatlining income, a stretched workforce, and rivals making an attempt to undermine us with nameless complaints. Each week introduced a contemporary disaster.
One morning, after a bruising assessment name, I sat quietly and opened my gratitude journal — an previous behavior from my earlier task days. I wrote:
1. Grateful for a junior’s braveness to level out a flaw in our techniques.
2. Grateful for a shopper’s robust suggestions — it confirmed they cared about high quality.
3. Grateful for the belief positioned in me to guide by means of this.
One thing shifted. I walked into the following assessment calmer and clearer. My tone softened. My questions deepened. And the workforce, sensing security, opened up. That week, efficiency picked up.
Gratitude reframes stress into power.
Gratitude doesn’t erase issues; it reveals alternatives inside them. As I wrote in Attaining Success by Failing Extra, “Development hides our sins… when it slows, we see the waste.” Gratitude helps you see clearly — even when tides are out.
Software: The 3×3 Journal Methodology
Every night time, observe:
3 belongings you’re grateful for
3 individuals you admire
3 learnings from the day
In 21 days, your lens — and your management — will change.
On this task, I used to be scaling a nationwide distribution community — 100+ warehouses and three,000 employees. Issues had been shifting quick. Too quick, and we had been struggling to maintain up with the tempo of change.
Then, we missed quarterly targets. Morale dipped. Blame surfaced. My intuition was to double down. However I paused.
I pulled out my journal:
-Grateful for a supervisor who admitted failure to handle the transporters.
-Grateful for the grit of our warehouse crew by means of all of the labour unrest.
-Grateful for the prospect to regroup, not retreat.
That reset helped me lead with empathy, not ego.
Gratitude builds belief. Belief fuels turnarounds.
When leaders acknowledge effort, groups really feel seen, and seen groups keep and soar.
Software: The Gratitude Loop
Start every weekly workforce assembly with the next:
-One win from the previous week
-One workforce member to thank
Rotate this. Watch tradition bloom.
Now, a light-hearted warning. Let’s name him Rajeev. Sensible strategist. Drove outcomes. However by no means mentioned “thanks.”
Someday, his workforce threw a shock celebration. Balloons, cake, cheers. Rajeev walked in, appeared round and requested with a critical face:
“Who authorized this funds?”
The air deflated. So did his affect.
Gratitude isn’t non-obligatory. It’s oxygen.
Leaders who can’t admire find yourself remoted. Or worse — irrelevant.
Software: The Gratitude Audit
As soon as a month, ask:
– Who did I overlook to thank?
-What effort went unnoticed?
-What suggestions do I owe?
Then, decide one: name, write, or acknowledge publicly.
Following the 2008 monetary disaster, our inland enterprise at this port firm was below pressure. The financials had been tight. Rivalries brewed inside and outdoors the group.
However I recalled my precept: what you admire appreciates.
I began by sharing private gratitude entries at Friday huddles. Easy issues — like “grateful for a teammate’s persistence” or “grateful for the shopper’s belief final week.” Slowly, others adopted.
Productiveness picked up. Negotiations softened. Tradition shifted.
Gratitude is contagious — and culture-changing.
Make it seen. Repetition builds tradition.
Software Public Appreciation Ritual
Finish every city corridor or offsite with peer shoutouts. Make it particular, honest, and non-obligatory. The outcomes? Loyalty, readability, and pleasure.
Years earlier, I confronted my hardest failure — rejection from the fighter flying department of the Indian Air Drive. I used to be shattered.
But, that second nudged me towards the logistics department — a path that led to Moscow, international diplomacy, and constructing companies. On the time, I retreated inward. However in reflection, I discovered a present.
As I shared in my e-book:
“When issues don’t work out, the universe is inviting you to enhance your sport.”
Gratitude turned remorse into reinvention.
Gratitude fosters acceptance. Acceptance unlocks progress.
Leaders fail, too — however they bounce again quicker when grateful.
Software: “Catching Up With Myself” Train
Take 10 minutes weekly to mirror:
-What went mistaken?
-What did I be taught?
-What can I be pleased about anyway?
This self-check realigns your interior compass.
Framework: The 4 Gs of Grateful Management
-Grounding — Begin your day with a gratitude apply.
-Giving — Specific due to others — genuinely and constantly.
-Rising — Reframe failures with a grateful lens.
-Guiding — Mentor your workforce to embed gratitude of their habits.
Use this as a management loop. It builds resilience, deepens affect, and sustains power in high-change environments.
Harvard analysis exhibits gratitude improves temper, sleep, immunity, and relationships. In enterprise, it builds cultures of belief and innovation. As I’ve seen mentoring startups and advising corporates, founders who lead with appreciation construct quicker and break much less.
In Attaining Success by Failing Extra, I wrote:
“Insights often come from hindsight, while you take the time to mirror.”
Gratitude is the way you entry that hindsight in real-time.
Concluding: Let’s be clear. Gratitude isn’t a ‘nice-to-have.’ It’s a differentiator. A hidden drive that separates leaders who handle from those that encourage.
Should you’re navigating a management transition — be it from success to significance or startup chaos to company calm — begin right here. With a pen. A pocket book or an App, and two minutes of honesty.
As a result of while you lead with gratitude, you don’t simply lead higher — you reside higher.
Now Your Flip:
Tonight, write three belongings you’re grateful for.
Tomorrow, thank one teammate.
Subsequent week, share your reflections.
Then watch as your management transforms — from pushed to deeply impactful.
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After 4 a long time of constructing and scaling ventures in logistics, infrastructure, consulting, and investing, I now help leaders, founders, and enterprises in transition to unlock readability and create significant affect.
Should you’re going through a change and want help, let’s join.
