A Season of Gratitude
As November winds down and Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself thinking less about goals and deadlines and more about people. This time of year invites us to pause and give thanks for the clients, colleagues, friends and family who make the work, and the journey, worthwhile.
This month I want to share a little of what I’m most grateful for, and why giving thanks may be one of the most underrated leadership tools we have.
Grateful for Our PBCA Community
We just returned from the annual Professional Business Coaches Alliance (PBCA) conference in Dallas, and once again I came home energized and deeply grateful. Roberto Martinez, one of our PBC coaches, joined me again this year, and it was a joy to share the experience with him.
The PBCA community is made up of some of the nicest and most caring people imaginable. Every coach in the room is deeply dedicated to supporting their clients. What makes this group truly special is how much they also support each other. Members share their methods, tools and hard-won lessons freely, so that every coach, and every client we serve, gets better.
In a profession that could easily be competitive, this group chooses generosity. I’m proud to be part of it, and grateful for the friendships, ideas and encouragement it brings me year after year. Those ideas come home with us and go straight to work for our clients.
Why Giving Thanks Matters
Thanksgiving is the one holiday built entirely around gratitude, and that’s worth paying attention to as a leader. Gratitude isn’t just a nice tradition. It’s a leadership practice.
When leaders take time to genuinely thank their people, they build trust, loyalty and a team that wants to go the extra mile. A sincere, specific “thank you” costs nothing, and it often means more than a bonus.
This season, try a few simple ways to put gratitude to work:
- Be specific. Name what someone did and why it mattered.
- Look beyond your team. Thank a client, vendor, referral partner or peer who helped you this year.
- Make it a habit. Open your next leadership meeting with a quick round of appreciation.
Thank the People Who Hold It All Together
Often the people who most deserve our thanks are the quiet ones: the team members who keep things running smoothly, step in without being asked, and make everyone around them better. I wrote about them in The Unsung Heroes: “Glue Employees” and the Heart of a Great Team. This Thanksgiving, make sure they know they’re seen.
For more ideas on making gratitude a year-end habit, revisit last November’s article, Leading with Gratitude: November Reflections and Year-End Momentum.
Gratitude Fuels a Strong Finish
With just a few weeks left in the year, gratitude is also a great way to build momentum. Before you start planning for 2027, take a moment with your leadership team to look back:
- What are we most thankful for this year?
- Who made a difference that we haven’t properly recognized?
- Which wins deserve to be celebrated before December 31?
Teams that feel appreciated finish strong, and they start the new year ready for what’s next.
A Thanksgiving Challenge
Between now and Thanksgiving, write three thank-you notes: one to someone on your team, one to a client or customer, and one to someone in your personal life who has supported you.
Handwritten is best. It takes ten minutes, and the impact can last for years.
Let’s Connect
As we head into December and the new year, I’m here if you want support finishing the year strong, tackling a team challenge, or building your plan for 2027. From all of us at PBC, thank you, and have a happy and restful Thanksgiving.
Bernhard Heine
Office: 781-319-9820
Connect with us on social media and be part of the dialog.
