Gratitude Builds Trust: The Hidden Multiplier of Leadership ROI

Gratitude in leadership is more than good manners. It’s one of the simplest, most powerful tools a leader can use to build trust, unity, and performance.

My philosophy has always been this:
When the team succeeds, it’s because of the team.
When the team fails, it’s because of the leader.

That may sound extreme, but it keeps me grounded. Gratitude helps balance that truth. It reminds me that success is shared and that leadership isn’t about being in charge, but about being thankful for the people who make success possible.

Small Gestures, Big Impact

When I was a director, one of my managers had the idea to start a recognition program in Slack. It was crazy simple. Anyone could type #recognize followed by a name and a short message describing what that person had done well.

At first, it lived quietly in the channel. People soon began “dittoing” recognitions to show their agreement. Eventually, we started aggregating the top recognitions each month and celebrating them during team meetings with something small like a free lunch or gift card.

It took off.

People began noticing each other’s contributions more often. The quiet efforts that used to go unseen started being appreciated in public. Teams collaborated more and energy rose.

It wasn’t just the reward that mattered. It was being seen. That simple act of recognition built trust faster than any policy ever could.

The Cost of Forgetting Gratitude

When leaders fail to express gratitude, even unintentionally, the consequences ripple quietly through a team.

At best, people do their jobs and go home. At worst, they feel taken for granted. They disengage, they stop bringing ideas, or they lose trust.

A lack of gratitude doesn’t usually cause open conflict, it causes distance. And distance erodes performance far faster than mistakes ever will.

Why Gratitude Improves ROI

Leaders often talk about trust and results as if they’re separate, but they’re not. Gratitude links them together.

When people feel valued, they perform better and think more creatively. When they feel trusted, they work faster and collaborate more freely. And when they feel gratitude (both given and received) they become loyal.

Value + loyalty = trust.

And trust, as Stephen M. R. Covey wrote, is the ultimate performance multiplier.

“Trust always affects two outcomes — speed and cost.
When trust goes up, speed goes up and cost goes down.”
— Stephen M. R. Covey, The Speed of Trust

A grateful culture moves faster because people believe the best of each other…and that belief compounds into results.

The Leadership Practice of Gratitude

Gratitude isn’t seasonal. It’s not limited to a holiday or an award ceremony. It’s a daily leadership discipline:

• Saying “thank you” sincerely and specifically.

• Recognizing effort, not just results.

• Representing your people well when they’re not in the room.

• Advocating for their growth, not just their output.

Those simple actions don’t just boost morale, they build momentum.

A Thanksgiving Reflection

As we approach Thanksgiving, I’d like to invite you to pause for a moment. Think about three things you’re grateful for:

• One personal — something that brings joy to your daily life.

• One professional — something that makes your work meaningful.

• One spiritual or reverential — something that keeps you centered.

Then, take one step further: tell someone.

Don’t just feel gratitude — express it.

That’s how we multiply trust. That’s how we build teams that move faster, stay longer, and give their best.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
— William Arthur Ward

Happy Thanksgiving.

Speaking of gifts, want to see how gratitude and trust shape leadership performance?

Take the free Fail-Safe Leadership Assessment.