Being Grateful is Important for You and Your Business

As you look to close out 2016 and ring in 2017, revising old plans, making new ones, celebrating successes and learning from failures, don’t forget to look, at least for a moment at today.

As business leaders, you are always looking out ahead, mitigating risks, taking on new challenges and sometimes you can forget what is right in front of you. Your family, your employees, your vendors and your customers, all have contributed to making you who you are, what your businesses are, and the impact you have had. When was the last time you said thank you?

Most often, the first one you think of is your customers and send a card or gift of thanks. Next on the list is your vendors, which you sometimes acknowledge with a card, a gift or a call. Third is your employees and you likely have a holiday party of some sort, a bonus, a gift or all of the above. Lastly, you might think to thank your family.

I might suggest that the order is completely backward. The most important people in your life are your family, after all, what are you really doing this for anyway? And who has sacrificed the most while you built your business? They have. Next on the priority list are your employees. They helped you build, deliver, sell, execute and stay in business every single day. And most will give their all every day to make sure you succeed in your goals. What are you doing to help them succeed in theirs?

There is no better time than the present to say thanks. A meaningful thank you from the heart for all those who have helped you along the way. The holidays are about giving back and saying thank you.

So thank you to all of you who have helped my business this year. I appreciate all the help and support I’ve received over the year and hope to pay it forward many times each day. Join me and the holidays will not be an event but a way of life, every day of the year.