Ei Leadership Tips: Inside-Out & Gratitude

TIP #1: CREATE A POSITIVE RIPPLE EFFECT FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Work to cultivate a positive attitude that will naturally create a ripple effect. We are naturally wired to search for threats, so seeing the negative comes easy. To combat this default, here are two ways to intentionally work to reprogram the way our brain scans the world:
WWW or What Went Well: for the next 30 days, write down 3 things that went well each day. Bonus strategy: review the entire list each day prior to adding more. 
Gratitude Tracking: for the next 30 days, write down 3 NEW things you are grateful for each day. 
By the end of the 30 days, it will be like you turned an app on in your brain that scans the world for the positive. 
What’s the advantage? When you are in a positive state, it ripples out to your entire team. Studies show that positive emotions ripple out at least 3 degrees past the initiator.

 TIP #2: CREATE A GRATITUDE SYSTEM
Create a consistent process for your team to express appreciation to each other. This could be as simple as a “Post-It note on the wall” system, or something more intricate like a shared Google Form each week. At one of my former teaching positions, the principal would share a "Shout-Outs" Google Form mid-week, people would fill it out, and he would share the messages of gratitude with the entire staff in his weekly newsletter. Not that the other information wasn’t important, but most people jumped down the newsletter to read the Shout-Outs first.
What’s the advantage? Expressing gratitude gives a positivity boost to both the giver and receiver. When you are in a positive state as opposed to a negative, neutral, or stressed state, things like energy, intelligence, productivity, and creativity all increase. Expressing gratitude also fosters positive relationships.