The Gratitude Entrepreneur

We are in a gratitude pandemic. Distracted by hustle culture and social media, many of us are missing the opportunity to harness the power of appreciation. 

The quiet quitting phenomenon and increased organizational dysfunction, in my opinion, are directly correlated to a gratitude shortage. Gratitude is free and should be applied liberally with great sincerity. Gratitude in the form of appreciation and recognition are powerful tools that often transcend financial compensation for employees and clients. Yet, some organizations treat gratitude like a fussy toddler eating vegetables.

If you believe culture is the cornerstone of a business, gratitude is the mortar between the bricks. As the economy begins to shift, organizations that have instilled value and gratitude into their DNA will be prepared to weather the potential rocky seas ahead. 

Company Culture

Starting from a place of value extends beyond your employees to your clients, end users, and the broader economy. Value-based businesses invest more significant sums into the products or experiences of their client, and in turn, the goodwill that sprouts from this practice is almost incalculable.

At Strategos, care and, specifically, client value is a part of our business vernacular. Our North Star is to provide “unmistakable client value,” and we intentionally review opportunities for client care – weekly.

We believe client care creates a halo effect of gratitude supporting the advancement of our mission. Simply put, it comes down to paying attention to the humans in the process.

I’ve made it a point to bake in gratitude as part of our company culture. A criterion for employee compensation is the successful execution of celebrating our staff, clients, and professionals whose efforts ultimately empower the lives of students.

The simple act of recognizing another individual, whether in an announcement on LinkedIn, a box of cookies for someone who experienced a new win in their job, or someone going through a deeper, harder moment in the world, is accentuated. As a result, we reward our staff with bonuses for this continued practice. However, on the actual bottom line of our business, it's an expense, but in our view, this is a 100% investment in client relationships and internal cultural building.

In many respects, our success is measured by asking the staff to send goodwill into the universe, and we pay for it.

Onboardings

During my tenure of meeting with countless organizations seeking our consulting services, I’ve frequently experienced businesses married to a business plan highlighting extraction value. Their focus appears heavily placed on what creates them more value. Not what is best for their end user. Yet, the most remarkable companies have figured out what drives their end user, and they have become obsessed with it.

 Our end user is our client and the American education system. If we pick great clients and support their success, we're helping the education system do great things. On day one, you will not find that on an income statement or a balance sheet. But this form of gratitude and attention is a hidden superpower over time.

 When given a choice, businesses ultimately will stick with someone who respects, values, and understands them. Rather than forcing it as an add-on effect, it's baked into our culture as something that we simply do. So, when given two choices, an A or B, the ‘A’ being it's just business and the ‘B’ it feels right, we choose the latter.

 Big Picture Vision

Our mission is to help students thrive in their living and learning. Living represents healthcare, and learning is education. I’m passionate about the end result of betterment for the common good. This vision plays out through relationship-building based on gratitude and care.

It’s unimaginable what adding the simple act of gratitude could do when carried out across business landscapes and sectors in a widespread effort. In a broad sense, the world certainly needs more care, and businesses shaped around those principles seem positioned to make an impact that transcends even themselves.

Change starts at the micro level and unfurls in a wave of gratitude that, when practiced and maintained, prepares every individual for whatever might arrive in the moment. The ancient stoic Marcus Aurelius cultivated the idea of the virtue of gratitude as a philosophical, leadership, and personal practice with striking relevance to modern life and business applications.

Businesses are essentially inanimate objects; they alone create nothing. It’s the people within enterprises that power growth. People growth is business growth – the sooner you believe it – the faster you will succeed with gratitude as your guide.