Good afternoon from Vancouver!

We’ve been exploring the following leadership attributes from my reflections in Australia this summer;

Presence

Present Moment = Wonderful Moment

Slowing Down

Attention and Listening

Honouring Self, Others and the Place

Gratitude

Compassion

Solitude

Over the next weeks, I’ll expand a little more on each of them.

For this week, gratitude. It seems that everyone from the Buddah, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Prophet Mohammed, through to Henry David Thoreau, your Mum and even Oprah talk about the importance of gratitude and thanksgiving. There must be something to it?!  Why is it that we can still sit in a restaurant and not thank the server who takes our order or brings our food, close a meeting and not thank the people who attended for their time and contribution, or even thank our family and loved ones for their presence in our lives?

Did you know that a sincere and heartfelt thank you is consistently one of the top three most important rewards an employee can receive? To be appreciated for a contribution, to be recognized for an act or word touches us at a very deep level.

During my stay on Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, www.heronisland.com I had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people. Two couples in particular, became friendly as we shared some laughs on the boat to the island and then shared a few meals together. One couple were older; she in her 70’s , he in his 80’s, and both had lost their first spouses in death at quite young ages, and had raised six children each on their own from the time they were in their early 40’s. They had been married for about 10 years. In a moment of serendipity, with the beautiful weather, the gorgeouos location and the fact that I was ordained, they approached me and asked if I would officiate at a renewal of their wedding vows. Well with no legal issues to worry about, they were already married, I said sure.

The renewal was wonderful, they had written their own vows, and I said a couple of words about love and elderhood, the other couple acted as photographers and a few of the other guests shared the moment with us all, and one sang Ave Maria. And then off we all went for dinner. It was simple, lovely and a great memory. The ‘bride’ came over to me and said, “I’ve been thinking about how to thank you.” I said, “you’re welcome, so no worries.” Then she said, “I’m an artist, and I’d like to paint my view of Heron Island and send it to you.” I said “thank you.”

Her painting, an impressionist work, found me on my last night in a hotel in Melbourne, wrapped in a tube. I carefully brought it home, and it now hangs above the mantle in my office. It is absolutely lovely. And it touches me, because it came from her heart.

As leaders, we too can make a difference in people’s lives and in our relationships with them, by naming and acting on our thankfulness from our hearts. And, as an exercise, as you go to bed each night, think about the people and situations from the day that you are thankful for; and you may well find that you want to thank the people who come into your mind the very next day.