Grateful Leadership begins with You

My last name in Chinese is 謝, pronounced as ‘Tse.’ It is the traditional character for ‘thank.’ In simplified Chinese, it is 谢, pronounced as ‘Xie.’ Of course, my non-traditional dad decided it sounded more like ‘Jae.’ To me, my last name has come to symbolize personal leadership rooted in gratitude. I strive to embody what it means to be a 'grateful leader.' This is reflected in my appreciation for my journey, the position I hold now, and everyone who has helped me along the way.

I want to use my interpretation of the three components of 謝 to demonstrate how gratitude leadership shows up. The character 謝 is made up of three individual characters:

言: This character means speech or words. To me, this means grateful leaders must express thankfulness openly. We should recognize what they are thankful for, especially by giving credit to those who deserve it. Unexpressed gratitude often leads to unhappiness and disengagement. Expressed gratitude can lift spirits and positively reinforce engagement and top performance.

身: This character means body. In my view, grateful leaders should both embody and express gratitude through their actions. Simply stating appreciation isn't sufficient; leaders must actively demonstrate it. This can take the form of dedicating time, sharing talents, or offering resources to those they appreciate. 

寸: Historically, this character referred to the spot on the wrist where one's pulse can be felt. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, practitioners rely heavily on pulse reading for diagnosis. For me, this symbolizes that grateful leaders have hearts filled with gratitude, and this feeling resonates throughout their entire being. Leaders should let gratitude shape both their mindset and their emotional responses.

In my view, gratitude is an essential ‘be-attitude’ for effective leadership. It fosters humility in leaders, encourages recognition of others' contributions, and motivates us to continuously give back and pay forward. Gratitude represents an outlook characterized by the recognition that individual achievement is not solely self-derived, and implies a responsibility to reciprocate the goodwill received from others and society as a whole. 

I might say, "Gratitude is the best attitude," and it all begins with you-how you think, feel, and act.

What will you do today to fill yourselves with gratitude and express and act upon it? 

Stay Amasian!