 Somewhere along the way, we stopped saying thank you. Not the automatic, half-heard thanks you mutter while walking away from the printer someone fixed. Not the team-wide email where praise gets lost in a list. But real, human acknowledgements. For a job done properly. For kindness that wasn’t required. For people who just quietly got on with things when you needed them most. That’s where The Gratitude Habit began for me. I noticed how rarely people thanked others simply for doing their job well. Somewhere between busy schedules, performance targets and shifting team dynamics, we’ve let go of the small acknowledgements that remind people they matter. And what’s worse, many have become hesitant to express appreciation at all – fearful that saying something nice might be misread, misused or come back to bite them later. Gratitude isn't weaknessIn fast-paced working cultures, kindness and praise can feel like soft skills that don't carry weight. There's a lingering belief that if you praise someone for doing what they’re paid to do, you're lowering the bar. Or that being openly appreciative might look like favouritism. Or worse – that people will use your thanks as leverage in future negotiations. But appreciation and accountability are not opposites. You can recognise effort and still uphold standards. You can be kind and still expect performance. In fact, when done right, gratitude reinforces what good looks like – and encourages others to rise to it. One-minute praise, long-lasting resultsIn my blog about The One Minute Manager, I explored how praise, when it’s specific and timely, becomes a practical leadership tool rather than a vague platitude. The One Minute Praising model encourages managers to notice good work and acknowledge it on the spot. Not later. Not in a review. Right then. That small shift changes everything. Instead of praise being performative or reserved for the exceptional, it becomes part of how we communicate every day. It removes the awkwardness. It becomes habit. And that habit, over time, builds a culture of mutual respect. You can read more on this approach in my full blog here: 👉 The One Minute Manager – Is This Still Viable in the 21st Century? Building the Gratitude HabitWhat I call The Gratitude Habit isn’t about grand gestures. It’s not about writing formal notes or staging a weekly praise post. It’s about quietly but intentionally acknowledging when someone’s effort, insight or humanity made a difference – whether or not it was “above and beyond.” Here’s how it plays out:
Why it matters now more than everThe last few years have left many people emotionally threadbare. Hybrid working has added distance. Communication often defaults to tools rather than tone. And when budgets are tight and teams are stretched, effort can start to feel invisible. The Gratitude Habit cuts through that. It’s not about polishing halos or sugar-coating performance. It’s about seeing people. In their skill, their effort, their intention. It helps rebuild what busy days often erode – connection, motivation and shared purpose. Getting startedYou don’t need a programme or platform. You just need to pause. Here’s a simple way to start:
This isn’t about flattery or false positivity. It’s about building a habit of recognition that grounds your leadership in something stronger than KPIs: respect. Final thoughtsIn a world where we often assume that people know they’re appreciated, The Gratitude Habit is a reminder that they probably don’t. It’s not about giving praise to get results. It’s about remembering that those results come from people – and people work better when they feel valued. Make it part of how you work. Make it part of how you live. Not because you’re expected to. But because it makes everything feel a little more human.  #GratitudeHabit
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