Ep 166. Chester Elton: Leading With Gratitude

Ep 166. Chester Elton: Leading With Gratitude

“The expression of gratitude for employees’ efforts — when the acknowledgement is authentic, specific, and timely — can be a huge motivation and productivity booster, especially during tough times.”

Chester Elton

Chester Elton is one of today’s most influential voices in workplace trends and is the co-author of Leading with Gratitude: Eight Leadership Practices for Extraordinary Business Results. Chester is the co-founder of The Culture Works, a global training company, and a board member of Camp Corral, a non-profit for the children of wounded and fallen military heroes. He serves as a leadership consultant to firms such as American Express, AT&T, Avis Budget Group and Procter & Gamble. In 2018 Global Gurus research organization ranked him as #13 in the world’s top leadership experts and #5 in the world’s top organizational culture experts; and he is a member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches pay it forward project.

In this episode, Stew and Chester discuss the pandemic’s impact on workplace culture and on how leaders -- of all sorts and in all social environments, including the family -- can express gratitude and appreciation for their people and reap great benefits from doing so. Chester offers a bunch of practical, easy-to-implement ideas for what anyone can do to enrich their lives and those of the people around them by being more conscious and deliberate about showing others that you value who they are and what they do.

Here’s a challenge, for you to consider, after you’ve listened to this episode. Try, for the next few days, thinking, writing, or speaking out loud -- just before you retire and head off to dreamland -- noting the two or three things that you were grateful for during the day that’s ending. Write to Stew Friedman to let him know what you discover at friedman@wharton.upenn.edu or connect with him on LinkedIn. And, while you’re at it, share your thoughts on this episode and ideas for future shows.

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