“Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every nobility of your life.” – Rumi

In today’s pressure cooker climate, where leaders perpetually race against countless competitors, aggressive growth targets, and unrelenting shareholder expectations, it’s incredibly easy to fall into a mindset of scarcity and negativity. Boardroom narratives frequently revolve around what’s lacking, where others are outperforming, and perceived external threats to be neutralized.

However, a growing body of research reveals that the great CEOs and leaders who rise above the rest and create unstoppable momentum aren’t just brilliant strategists – they proactively cultivate an outlook grounded in abundance and gratitude. An attitude of gratefulness isn’t merely a touchy-feely nice-to-have. It’s a pragmatic, high-performance multiplier that businesses must pay attention to.

A 2020 study published in the Harvard Business Review found that participants who ranked themselves higher on gratitude scales achieved a 19% higher net profit margin and a 26% increase in gross profit compared to their counterparts gripped by chronic negativity. Another study revealed that leaders who expressed gratitude were viewed as 35% more motivating and 28% more likely to be recommended for promotions.

The reasons behind this outperformance are multifaceted. By intentionally focusing their lens on what’s working and going well each day, grateful leaders stay energized, optimistic, and resilient even when challenges arise. This positive mental framing also deepens emotional intelligence and empathy, allowing leaders to forge tighter bonds with teams and customers. A gratitude mindset becomes a productivity-boosting force field, staving off corrosive behaviors like blame, entitlement, and complacency.

As Robin Sharma, leadership guru and author of The Leader Who Had No Title, eloquently states: “Living in a state of gnawing negativity while subconsciously perceiving all you have as inadequate fertilizes anxiety, entitlement, anger, lack of creativity and scarcity. Gratefulness grows happiness.”

If you’re a CEO ready to seize the exponential benefits that come from adopting an attitude of gratitude as a daily leadership practice, here are five evidence-backed ways to start:

1. Begin With a Gratitude Morning Ritual

The highest performers start their day by priming their gratitude pump. Oprah, for example, publicly shares that she starts every morning by expressing gratitude for at least 28 different experiences, people, or blessings in her life before her feet hit the floor. This could be as simple as finding gratefulness for the air in your lungs or the ability to hear birdsong.

Other leaders journal, or even voice record what they are grateful for each morning. It’s an energizing daily reset that puts your focus on abundance over scarcity from the moment your eyes open.

2. Gamify It by Counting Up

If you’re a numbers-driven CEO, consider turning gratitude into a trackable metric or game where you aim to hit a specific daily count of things you feel grateful for. Some neuroscientists believe that 300-500 looked-for moments of gratitude per day can create ongoing positive effects and shifts in the brain’s circuitry.

Set hourly reminders to scout and log whatever aspects of your work, home life, health, or other blessings you’re grateful for in that timeframe. You can aim to exceed your personal best count each day. Counting heightens your awareness and makes gratitude an addictive habit.

3. Express Genuine Appreciation

As a leader, you have an unparalleled opportunity to uplift and inspire others simply by expressing sincere gratitude and appreciation for their contributions, insights, behaviors, or accomplishments. A Harvard Medical School study found that 79% of employees who quit their jobs cited lack of appreciation as a key reason.

Please make it a point to start meetings by celebrating team wins or shoutouts. Send handwritten notes highlighting valued strengths you’ve witnessed in colleagues. Look for moments to thank frontline workers for their roles in your organization’s success. Small gestures of expressed appreciation have exponentially positive ripple effects.

4. Savor Unexpected Delights

So often, our minds race ahead to what still needs to be done that we miss savoring pleasant, unexpected moments unfolding right before us. Train yourself to become exquisitely attuned to randomly delightful experiences and sights that spark momentary feelings of awe, bliss, or childlike wonder.

It could be the way sunlight filters through trees in the morning, the smile of a stranger on the street, a funny joke shared by your teenager, or a beautiful piece of architecture. By sinking into these mini-replenishing moments with rapt gratitude, you’ll collect reservoirs of positive energy propelling you through the stresses of each day.

5. Turn Setbacks into Gratitude Practice

The next time you encounter frustration—a deal falling through, an important employee leaving, or a product meltdown—resist the urge to indulge in despair or lament. Instead, challenge yourself to find the hidden cause for gratitude within the situation. Perhaps you’ll realize how fortunate you were to uncover a flaw you can now fortify or how an unexpected setback cleared the way for an even bigger opportunity.

With diligent practice, even calamities can become gratitude-shaping experiences for the wise leader seeking personal growth and spiritual abundance amidst earthly turbulence. Roman philosopher Cicero once said: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

Add these five gratitude rituals into your daily repertoire as a leader, and you’ll begin to radiate an energetic field of possibility that attracts loyal talent, tenacious problem-solving, and outstanding performance from those around you. When positivity becomes your steadiest currency, the sky is the limit for what you can accomplish while experiencing deeper professional fulfillment.