Judith W. Umlas - Grateful Leadership: Using the Power of Acknowledgment to Engage All Your People and Achieve Superior Results

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I dedicate this book to all of you trailblazers who are either being or becoming Grateful Leaders. You have chosen to put yourself on an extraordinary path, and I applaud you for your courage, your commitment, and your humanity. May this book make a true and ongoing difference in the practice of your Grateful Leadership, and may you become an inspiration to others who are considering this path.

In gratitude and appreciation,

Judith W. Umlas

When Judith W. Umlas asked me to write a foreword for her book describing the benefits and joys of being a Grateful Leader, I was honored to do so. I have personally learned that the nations workplaces are not rigid fortresses. They are living entities in flux, and their growth is dependent on the shifting currents of humanity in and around them.

A culture of Grateful Leadership starts with leaders who are inspired by a profound sense of personal gratitude. They are also acutely conscious of how an attitude of appreciation affects both employees and the community at large. If the expression of gratitude is contrived, the result is uninspired. We all know when someone is being disingenuous, and there is nothing more demoralizing than a disingenuous Good job!

Without the authentic expression of gratitude, people can become frustrated and lose sight of the larger purpose. Ungrateful leadership sends companies spiraling downward toward shortsightedness and selfishness. In todays global corporate landscape, loss of purpose ultimately translates into loss of revenue.

In contrast, genuine Grateful Leaders create a culture of appreciation. They move the focus from a story of me to a story of us. They generate a frame for employees, customers, suppliers, and community members who are inspired by purpose and are fully invested in their roles to realize a shared end goal. They are grateful to be part of something larger than themselves. They are grateful to one another. And they are proud to have earned the gratitude that others have expressed to them.

This culture of gratitude is drawing corporations out of the vortex of selfishness and into the interconnected web of humanity. How can a company be only self-centered and express genuine gratitude to stakeholders at the same time? Its impossible. The magic occurs when strength of purpose is coupled with a culture of trust, care, and gratitude. This focuses on optimizing the value for all the stakeholders, which translates to an increase in revenue.

When you create a true culture of care, of gratitude, unbelievable things occur. We would regularly receive amazing letters or calls from customers about their positive experience at Trader Joes. I would always be filled with gratitude to work with such an inspired team. As an example of the magic that can occur when a team feels fully empowered and grateful, let me share one particular story that continues to amaze me. On the eve of a blizzard, a mother and her small children hurried through our Scarsdale, New York, store to pick up groceries for the family before the storm arrived. She navigated up and down the aisles, worried about the coming storm. Finally, she raced with her family to the cash register with a full shopping cart, her groceries were bagged, and then she remembered that her wallet was still sitting on the kitchen table.

When the mother panicked, the cashier calmly said, Dont worry. Ill pay for them today. You can just pay me back next time. The cashier swiped his debit card and paid for over $160 worth of groceries. He didnt embarrass her, and he didnt feel the need to call for a manager. He simply acted out of the deep gratitude of service. Here was that culture of trust and care at work in the community. An empathetic culture breeds kindness and gratitude. In that moment and so many others, I have felt inextricably linked to my colleagues and my community through a swelling of gratitude (Im also grateful that the forgetful shopper returned to the store, paid her bill, and then called me to tell me how grateful she was for the trust she had received).

Judith W. Umlas has written a book about Grateful Leadership at a time when it is vital to have holistic leadership. Her careful thought about this subject (including naming it Grateful Leadership) is a testament to just how passionate she is about the content of this book. The best writing is born of passion and experience, and Judith brings a surplus of both to the table. Just as gratitude must be sincere, the discussion about its genuine impact in business must be done with heartfelt vigor. Judith is ideally positioned to tackle this subject. She has trained tens of thousands of employees to learn the power of acknowledgment, and she has been exposed to a wide array of individual leadership styles.