[et_pb_section fb_built=“1″ _builder_version=“4.27.4″ background_enable_color=“off“ global_colors_info=“{%22gcid-ff167076-b4c5-4e2e-a715-50d3f49d16ce%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}“ theme_builder_area=“post_content“][et_pb_row _builder_version=“4.27.4″ background_size=“initial“ background_position=“top_left“ background_repeat=“repeat“ global_colors_info=“{}“ theme_builder_area=“post_content“][et_pb_column type=“4_4″ _builder_version=“4.27.4″ background_color=“RGBA(255,255,255,0)“ background_enable_image=“off“ custom_padding=“|||“ global_colors_info=“{}“ custom_padding__hover=“|||“ theme_builder_area=“post_content“][et_pb_text _builder_version=“4.27.4″ header_4_font=“Lato|700|||||||“ background_size=“initial“ background_position=“top_left“ background_repeat=“repeat“ hover_enabled=“0″ global_colors_info=“{%22gcid-918bfb31-49d9-4d67-868a-81697244072a%22:%91%22header_4_text_color%22%93}“ theme_builder_area=“post_content“ sticky_enabled=“0″]<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve found that the final weeks of the year have a relentless quality. Depending on your sector, you could be facing some combination of project deadlines, fundraising campaigns, required annual reporting, final exams, or holiday performances. <\/span><\/p>\n Social gatherings\u2014whether with work colleagues, friends, or family\u2014fill the calendar, leaving little precious time to reset and recharge. <\/span><\/p>\n This week in particular, our inboxes have filled with appeals for donations, interwoven with \u201climited-time\u201d discounts aimed at supercharging holiday shopping.<\/p>\n Even in the best of times, I\u2019ve observed a general cultural tendency to focus on what is missing: the tasks unfinished, the needs unmet. From the conference room to the living room, \u201cnot enough\u201d has become our default mindset.<\/p>\n But these are not normal times. Most mission-driven organizations have experienced not only devastating budget cuts, but also attacks on their very mission and core principles.<\/p>\n In the face of funding and staffing reductions, even maintaining the status quo can be a challenge. For many of us, \u201cnot enough\u201d is no longer simply a mindset, but rather a lived reality.<\/p>\n <\/span>\u201cNot enough\u201d has become so fundamental to our culture that we barely notice it. Yet its effects are real and often harmful: it drives burnout, alienates potential contributors, and undermines our capacity for long-term, mission-driven work.<\/p>\n When every contribution feels insufficient, people either run themselves ragged or disengage entirely.<\/p>\n Recently, I experienced this problem firsthand when a volunteer leader publicly called out several groups\u2014including one that I co-organize\u2014for not stepping up on a particular initiative. My immediate reaction was defensive: we WERE stepping up, investing considerable time in other key projects. I left the e-mail chain.<\/p>\n Later, I realized that this is precisely what \u201cnot enough\u201d thinking does. When leaders focus only on gaps rather than start where people are contributing, they push away the very people they need.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll freely admit that I\u2019m as prone as anyone to the \u201cnot enough\u201d mindset in my consulting, volunteer, and care work. But in recent months, I\u2019ve developed an approach that helps keep this impulse in check: <\/span>Lead with gratitude.<\/strong><\/p>\n This phrase is deliberately open ended and plays with the dual meaning of \u201clead.\u201d<\/p>\n On one hand, it is directed at leaders (either formal organizational leaders or those of us leading from within). Leading with gratitude is a <\/span>practice of actively and intentionally recognizing contributions,<\/strong> <\/span>including the critical invisible work that people do to keep an organization running.<\/p>\n By leading with gratitude, you strengthen relationships, build trust, and help others stay motivated. When you know that your efforts are seen, acknowledged, and valued, you\u2019re more likely to engage and contribute.<\/p>\n On the other hand, \u201clead\u201d can also mean \u201cbegin.\u201d Here, \u201clead with gratitude\u201d describes a broader principle for going into any new situation: whether in action or interaction, make gratitude your first step.<\/p>\n This shift in mindset can make all the difference\u2014both for you and for anyone you interact with. For example, when a key stakeholder takes weeks to respond to my e-mail, my first reaction is one of frustration. But when I start with gratitude\u2014reminding myself of the ways that person contributes, despite a full plate\u2014I can view the situation more clearly: even if this person isn\u2019t suited to constant engagement, they still bring immense value when they step up.<\/p>\n Leading with gratitude doesn\u2019t mean ignoring real shortcomings or avoiding difficult conversations. It\u2019s possible to be both grateful to someone <\/span>and<\/em> <\/span>alert them to a need for more (or better) effort.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t about lowering your standards, but rather about changing your starting point.<\/p>\n Replacing \u201cnot enough\u201d with gratitude requires a fundamental mental shift, and this takes practice. So as we push through this very busy time of year, I encourage you to try the following simple exercise:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Think of a recent time when someone\u2019s action fell short of what you had needed or hoped for.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Practice saying out loud (or write down) what you are genuinely grateful for. Not \u201cat least they tried,\u201d but a real recognition, e.g., \u201cthey brought a new perspective I hadn\u2019t thought of.\u201d<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Notice how this shifts your thinking about next steps. Does this change how you might interact with that person or how you view the situation?<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re managing a team, managing up, or managing yourself, leading with gratitude will serve as a bulwark against burnout and \u201cnot enough\u201d thinking. Ultimately, this mental shift builds the foundation for sustainable, impactful, and humane work.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=“1″ _builder_version=“4.27.4″ _module_preset=“default“ height=“157px“ collapsed=“on“ global_colors_info=“{}“ theme_builder_area=“post_content“][et_pb_row _builder_version=“4.27.4″ _module_preset=“default“ global_colors_info=“{}“ theme_builder_area=“post_content“][et_pb_column type=“4_4″ _builder_version=“4.27.4″ _module_preset=“default“ global_colors_info=“{}“ theme_builder_area=“post_content“][et_pb_text _builder_version=“4.27.4″ _module_preset=“default“ text_text_color=“#FFFFFF“ global_colors_info=“{}“ theme_builder_area=“post_content“]<\/p>\n Copyright 2023 Intellerate Consulting. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether you\u2019re managing a team, managing up, or managing yourself, leading with gratitude will serve as a bulwark against burnout and \u201cnot enough\u201d thinking. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":100777,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,12,22,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-capacity-building","category-communication","category-connection","category-leadership"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100774"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100779,"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100774\/revisions\/100779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intellerate.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The problem<\/h4>\n
A practice and a principle<\/h4>\n
Disclaimer and exercise<\/h4>\n