Gratefulness is good for Business
November is my favorite time of year. As we are coming to the close of the year, many of us independent consultants take stock of our year and prepare for the new year. One of my habits over the Thanksgiving holiday is to write down on slips of paper the one or two events that brought me happiness each month and for which I am thankful. I place each slip of paper in a large glass jug. On New Year’s Eve, I cast them into the fireplace one by one. I do this to make space for next year’s happenings for which to be grateful. This blog explores the positive effects associated with being grateful. I share three acts that once I started practicing, they have become good for business too. 1 Letters of Gratitude 2 Doing business with grateful people 3 Asking a favor Letters of gratitude Writing thank you letters had been in my wheelhouse since graduating from college and applying for my first jobs. And then I stopped for no reason other than life got busy. It wasn’t until I went back to the University of Chicago Booth to take a course on “Designing a Good Life” with Professor Nick Epley did I gain a greater appreciation for the positive effects of sending a thank you note for the recipient and for the writer. During this course, we explored “Does doing good feel good?” and “Is it possible to design a good life?” A Good life in three senses of the word: 1) good in the sense of being successful; 2) good in the sense of being ethical and honorable and 3) good in the sense of well-being, living a life rich in happiness, meaning and purpose. Prior to the class we were to do three random acts of kindness and write a gratitude letter. We were to give expecting nothing in return. In class Dr. Epley shared survey results that measured the effects on the recipients as well as those who sent the letters. Recipients 
The surprising effects of prosociality – defined as a social behavior that benefits others or society as a whole, such as helping, sharing, donating, co-operating, and volunteering are positive for health and other outcomes. Doing good effectively can lead to feeling good. This course was an “aha” moment in my personal and professional activities and I learned that how we treat others and how we treat ourselves is good for business. On a scale of -5 to 5 , the latter being very good Median was 3.14 for letter writers and 4.14 for recipients. 
The goal of the course was broader than the acts of kindness and thank you letters. It was a non-typical course on ethics in the words of Professor Epley and walked us through the processes of moral psychology. At the end of the course, we walked away with a Personal Responsibility Statement and an enhanced way we think about ourselves and others while exploring ways to design a more ethical organization by understanding the psychological processes that underly human thought and behavior. Since taking this course, I have rekindled my love for beautiful stationery and greeting cards. My guests on the Founders Sandbox receive a thank you note along with the original artwork from their episode. Doing business with grateful people In my discovery calls with potential clients of Next Act Advisors, the intake process that I find very useful when building resilient, growing and purpose driven companies includes a thank you letter. Among the aspects of the intake process I ask the business owner:
- What business and or CEO has inspired their company
- How they spend their time
- If she or he will share with me a letter of thanks or email they have sent to someone in their lives.
The act of showing gratitude as I learned in the course and practice continuously has informed my business model. Showing gratitude frequently through small kind acts builds resilience. Asking for a favor Asking for a favor is for the brave of heart or desperate, is what I once believed. One feels more empowered or in control by the act of giving. Life events have proven me wrong. When in fact, asking for a favor is powerful and is good for business. Why? Asking for referrals from one of your customers is one of the most successful and affordable forms of marketing. For products or services that require high trust, like consulting services, consider asking “your always customers” for written or video testimonials. One of many sources to find talent comes from referrals within your company. Why not consider having a reward system within your company? Above all else, remember to say “thank you “for referrals. Thank you for reading my blog post on “Three Acts of Gratitude. Thankfulness is good for business.” If you are a founder, I would like to ask you a favor. Can you share your gratitude practices? By responding to this post in Linked IN or send an email to info@brendam30.sg-host.com Wishing you and yours a restful holiday full of friends, family, turkey and letters of gratitude. Brenda A. McCabe #gratitude #resilience