HR.com hosted a regional workshop in Tampa a few weeks back. We held it at the Marriott Waterside Hotel. Upon arriving the morning of the event, we were pleasantly greeted by the banquet captain named Howie. As he took me to see the facilities we would use that day, his staff graciously welcomed me and communicated a very clear service attitude and desire for the event to be a big success. I knew we were in good hands.

The event did go well, and Howie and his team did an excellent job. It was easy and natural to express appreciation throughout the day, because they were clearly committed to helping in every way possible. What was amazing however, was how it impacted them. As I expressed my gratitude, I could almost see each of them grow taller. It gave me a kick to see them revel in the knowing they were being of service.

I interviewed Al Lucia for our Thought Leaders program on Monday, December 19th. He´s coauthored a book called The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus. It´s a cute read and it is a good reminder of some lasting principles for success. One of them was the importance of an "attitude of gratitude". It´s such a fun phrase and a great way of capturing a very powerful way of being in the world.

As I enter 2006, my intention is to extend gratitude on a daily basis. And, to extend it beyond recognizing and expressing my appreciation for things that go well, but, and here´s the big step... recognizing and expressing my appreciation for whatever gifts are present when things don´t go well. I guess Jim Collins would call that a big, hairy, audacious goal. I´ll let you know how it goes.

This attitude of gratitude reminds me of a quote that a colleague recently passed onto me. It is by Maya Angelou.  She said, "I´ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."