I am just back from delivering three presentations on Grateful Leadership Using the Power of Acknowledgment in Finland, four years later, and I have to say that the answer is a wholehearted “YES!” Though still somewhat jetlagged, I will tell you clearly that the reception I received this time was enthusiastic, desirous of the change people knew this information could bring, and purely welcoming. I didn’t come across a single doubter or naysayer among the 100+ people I trained.
I was stunned by the cultural as well as the personal shift that seemed to have occurred in those few years. I am not taking credit for this shift, but I do believe that those who had been exposed to this work in 2009 remained committed to bringing it into their country and corporate culture. Kim Strömbäck of Wärtsilä, who introduced me at both sessions I led in that company, told everyone of the cool reception I had received the first time, and the great response it had generated. And he insisted numerous times that I make sure to distinguish once again between recognition and acknowledgment, which had had a huge impact on him as well as on many others, and which I was planning to do.

I learned that Pia Jünger Project Manager, Operational Development, initially had the idea of bringing me in as a presenter for Wärtsilä’s Leadership Days after participating in IIL’s International Project Management Day 2012 where she viewed my presentation on Grateful Leadership. She just knew it would be a fit and it was. Ulla Lämsä, Learning & Development, Team Leader, who actually brought me to the company, welcomed me warmly and stayed for one of the sessions to see the “magic” happen. And it did…once again.

Dean Pattrick of Nokia came to the public session I led last week, after having attended a webinar I conducted from Finland in 2009. His excellent response to the webinar was featured in my book in a story about people’s “jaw-dropping response” to emails Dean had sent to his team through Nokia’s Peer Recognition Program. This time he insisted that I meet with Nokia’s Director of Human Resources while in Finland, which I had the pleasure of doing and felt I had discovered a “kindred spirit” in Jason Staines.
The evidence had come in that acknowledgment that is heartfelt, enthusiastic and of course well-deserved, works and works wonders. Two people in my seminar had “director of wellbeing” in their titles, and Wärtsilä has it on its website:
“Well-being at workplace is important to us. Wärtsilä takes care of its employees throughout the whole employment. Our goal is to create a good workplace in which all employees have the chance to show their best and develop further their competencies.”

My wonderful IIL Finland colleagues Inna Halminen, Seppo Halminen, Lorena Silvosa and Ilona Kajava received an incredibly positive response from project managers and HR directors to the invitation to come to my public presentation!

The point is that the focus of the Finnish culture seems to have begun to go through and is still undergoing an incredible shift, and I am honored to be able to note and promote it. Thank you, Finland, for welcoming the message of Grateful Leadership and the Power of Acknowledgment, as well as me, this time. I can hardly wait for my next visit!

To read the original post in 2009 on PMI’s Voices on Project Management blog, go to: http://blogs.pmi.org/blog/voices_on_project_management/2009/06/creating-an-acknowledgement-cu.html

- and a letter from our Founder, President & CEO, E. LaVerne Johnson as the front page of the book. This initiative is an expression and a validation of what I say about our company all the time – that it has a culture of appreciation and always seeks out opportunities to advance and enhance it.

For when a company believes this kind of environment and culture are important, it listens carefully to those who may not see this desired result in action, and then its leaders have the opportunity to investigate what is missing and to grow. If everyone experiences that culture of appreciation, and feels valued as employees, vendors and customers, that is even better, of course. In any event, I have received permission to share with you the letter that is now the first page of the book in the customized IIL edition.

What all Grateful and Potentially Grateful Leaders need to pay attention to in particular is this excerpt:

We know that gifted professionals such as you have many opportunities, and
we thank you for choosing to join the IIL team. We look forward to working
with you to continue to uphold our commitment to Intelligence, Integrity
and Innovation.

This is something that even Grateful Leaders sometimes forget – that all of their people have the opportunity to leave at any point, or to not choose their company first of all as the place where they want to spend their days and devote their energies. I am glad that our CEO knows and practices this on a daily basis. I’m sure that’s why I am still at IIL after 20 years. And I really believe that I could not have realized my mission and my passion of bringing the power of acknowledgment and grateful leadership to the world in so powerful a form anywhere else. I am truly grateful for the opportunities and support for my vision that I have been given by the leadership of IIL.

May you give your people your consistent gratitude and appreciation, and have them realize their passions and their missions while in your organization. If this is the case, like me, they won’t ever want to go anywhere else!

I love this quote from Walter Robb, Co-CEO of Whole Foods, for example: “I think of the amber waves of grain from the patriotic song ‘America the Beautiful,’ and this brings forth an image for me of ‘unfolding waves of gratitude.’” That is pure poetry, as far as I am concerned, and I am sure it is original. We are all original when we open our hearts. The purity of our expression toward those who matter to us, or should matter to us, is unique and can only come from us to those special people in order to make the difference it is intended to make.

I for one am deeply grateful for the opportunities I have to be an instrument for the opening of people’s hearts – people of all nationalities (I’m going to Finland in April to do training for a huge company there), ethnicities, all levels, genders and economic levels in an organization. We are all natural leaders, and only we can truly reinvent ourselves. No one can do it for us, even though I am flattered by the headline. Leaders of all levels, it is time to reinvent ourselves by opening our hearts and expressing the appreciation we feel toward all of our stakeholders. In spite of the powerful headline, I can’t reinvent you; I can only motivate and inspire you to open your hearts and to make a huge difference in your businesses, your families and your communities. Let’s do it together.

 Did you know that acknowledgment and appreciation contribute to better health and thus a healthier heart for leaders, employees and their families? Are you aware that gratitude improves overall well-being and creates joy for both the giver and receiver?

Please join me as I lead a free webinar from 9 – 10 AM EDT on Thursday, February 14—Valentine’s Day here in the U.S., in the midst of National Heart Month. I invite all of you to open your hearts to the exciting topic of Grateful Leadership™: Using the Power of Acknowledgment to Engage All Your People and Achieve Superior Results.

Register for My Webinar

If you are unable to attend the webinar, I will also be hosting a six hour, six PDU Virtual Classroom course on Grateful Leadership on March 11 and 13. (Register with code Grateful2013 and receive a 20% discount.)

Join me – I know you, as well as your colleagues and your families, will all be glad you came when everyone reaps the rewards of your being there .

I must have gotten hundreds of fortunes from cookies in the past, but when I got this one, I nearly whooped with recognition and joy! Someone who wrote that one really knew my work and my life! They got it so correct that it gave me goose bumps!

I felt this to the extreme last week when I was invited to come to Fort Bragg to speak to about 60 chaplains in the U.S. Army about Grateful Leadership and The Power of Acknowledgment. Numerous people in the Army are beginning to see this work as a means of dealing with the terrible and painful problem of military suicides, the numbers of which keep climbing. We are launching a pilot program at the U.S. Army base in Fort Drum, New York to test this out. In speaking with the chaplains at Fort Bragg, I felt that I had discovered for myself and was carrying out the mission I was truly put on this planet to achieve. In doing whatever I can do to help make the world a place in which people feel acknowledged and valued for their contributions, their gifts and talents, I am loving what I do and deeply feeling that it matters. And it’s true — nothing I could do has the potential to matter more!

Why is it that a handwritten note can mean so much to people, even though they will save emails and even text messages for long periods of time? Something that comes directly from our hand seems to connect more readily to our hearts than typing and texting. I know I feel amazed and awed when I see that someone has taken the time and energy and made the effort to truly reach me. I actually run my fingers over the bumps on the reverse side of the note to get an even greater tactile sense of what is being communicated.

That’s why I was so moved and inspired by the handwritten note from the CEO of The Westervelt Company, Michael Case, regarding my new book on Grateful Leadership. In fact, I was so proud that I asked his permission to share it with you on my blog, and he agreed. Michael, one of the 11 Grateful Leaders I profiled in my book, writes notes to his people as well, and knows it makes a difference. So here is the heartfelt note he wrote, which I will treasure forever…without a doubt!

So thank you, Michael Case, for being an inspirational leader, and for writing me one of the most meaningful thank you notes I have ever received! Also, remember that the next time you want to acknowledge someone in a very important way, try a handwritten note. It really shows that you put your heart into it.

robert w: I can’t send the message because the person I have in mind is now deceased. He was a former boss who in one sentence set my entire career. He called me into his office to ask me to deal with a situation. He started to tell me what to do and then stopped. He said, “You know what to do, don’t you?” I said yes. He said, “Then I don’t need to do anything here. Just let me know if anyone gets in your way.” I learned that I could take charge, and from there, I kept taking on more responsibilities and moved up the chain to management. I never got to thank him for that. He died from cancer a year after that conversation.

My comments excerpted from my book Grateful Leadership: Using the Power of Acknowledgment to Engage All Your People and Achieve Superior Results: As I read this acknowledgment to our audience, I have to admit that my voice broke. I felt Robert’s sadness, frustration, and realization, and this last was what gave it so much meaning for the 104 other people from around the world. How many of us have withheld this kind of simple, yet extraordinarily powerful, statement? A statement that, reduced to its essence, might be, “You have no idea what a huge and positive impact you made on my life in that one moment. I will never forget you. I will be forever grateful.” I’m sure that every one of us in that virtual room thought of those we had not fully, profoundly, and generously acknowledged. I do believe that Robert’s statement moved each of us to commit to making sure we let those who had made a difference in our lives know about it—as soon as possible…

That’s why I hope you will all be there – it’s an amazing, inspirational and transformational experience. Bring your whole team to the event. Just go to www.iil.com and it is the featured free webinar on the home page. Hope to see you on December 13^th!

The book launch was a delight as Founder, President & CEO E. LaVerne Johnson and I paid tribute to the two leaders who were present, as well as all of the others who were there in spirit. IIL made a donation to Covenant House New York Mother and Child Program, for homeless moms and their babies, in the name of each of the 11 Grateful Leaders plus book contributor Joanna Durand, Managing Director, Citigroup. Each leader was presented with a framed Grateful Leader Certificate and a writing or drawing by the mothers in the Covenant House program, showing one thing for which she is grateful.

To me, it seemed that all who were present were moved and inspired by each other and a lot of great connections were made! Given the success of this event, I am so excited that IIL has decided to make the Grateful Leader tribute an annual event. Please tell us who you think deserves such a tribute, and once we speak with them and agree, they will be profiled on this website and be a candidate for an official tribute in 2013.

This year’s recipients, in addition to the two leaders who were present, are listed below:

-Mark Addicks, Chief Marketing Officer, General Mills

-Lynn Batara, Enterprise Project Management Office Director, Franklin Templeton Investments

-Michael Case, President & CEO, The Westervelt Company

-Janis O’Bryan, Chief Information Officer, Hudson Advisors

-Primitivo Davis, Brigade Chaplain, U.S. Army

-Walter Robb, Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market

-Tom LaForge, Global Director of Human and Cultural Insights, The Coca-Cola Company

-Xavier Joly, Global Director of People Development, Volvo Powertrain

-Roberto Daniel, Senior Director of Engineering, Quality and Continuous Improvement, Invensys Controls

Please join me in celebrating and paying tribute to all of these wonderful Grateful Leaders! We look forward to seeing your Grateful Leaders on next year’s list!

Go grateful!

Keep up the great work, Roberto!