While I am deeply interested in how to make a computer do a thing (or even better a bunch of computers do a lot of things), what’s way more interesting to me is how people interact with each other and computers to do higher order things. I believe it’s the primary driver of innovation and progress in our time.
And beyond observing and attempting to make sense of those interactions is the question of how to make them better.
Better is a broad term, isn’t it? It can be subjective and objective. Your perspective can make the impact of the same change better or worse. Such is the complexity of the interactions and dynamics of our world.
In an organisation change is constant, and generally initiated by a small number of people, with varying degrees of impact on others. I’ve been working with a client who have gone through significant change over the last 12 months, much of it instigated by a change in government policy, which triggered a whole raft of changes, formal restructuring and leadership driven changes to ways of working. And all the while, software teams continued to chip away at delivering value to customers. They also practice regular reflection on their own ways of working to identify improvements.
This type of regular reflection usually focuses on process and tools. Often teams highlight external factors that have caused disruption. Without facilitation the reflection doesn’t typically touch on other factors that influence performance such as individual behaviours, beliefs, mindsets and attitudes.
But higher order constructs of socio-technical systems are fundamentally made up and driven by individual behaviours, which in turn reflect beliefs, mindsets and attitudes.
When I work with teams we will often frame things in the language of Kurt Lewin’s circles of influence, and focusing in on Stephen Covey’s sphere of control.
And in a complex socio-technical system, what is right in the middle of the sphere of control for an individual? That’s right… the individual.
One of the most impactful talks I have ever attended was by Marcus Child, who is an award winning speaker who specialises in helping people embrace life and change. If you ever have the chance to see Marcus speak, take it. I have had the privilege of seeing him talk twice.
One of the things that has stuck with me in the 10+ years since I first saw him was Marcus’s use of the phrase and, more importantly, the description of the power of an attitude of gratitude.
Being an attitude, it is something that is absolutely in the control of an individual, and is an incredibly powerful tool in improving your situation.
So what is an attitude of gratitude?
Keeping it simple, gratitude is the quality of being thankful, along the readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. At attitude of gratitude is by extension the deliberate or conscious habit of expressing appreciation for the things in life, both big and small, and being thankful for them.
In practical terms this can mean a range of things - let’s start with saying thank you. I find it mind blowing that people don’t say thank you to people who provide contributions or service in their lives. The office cleaner who clears out the trash, the receptionist who welcomes you in the morning, the barista who makes your coffee, the intern who did that menial task, the junior analyst who crunched the crappy data, the list is endless. How many people don’t say thank you? How many people miss out on improving their mood and the mood of another person, even if the person has simply done exactly what was expected of them.
But an attitude of gratitude goes beyond this simple act of appreciation. Taking the time to reflect on what we’re grateful for has incredible power for maintaining perspective during challenging times and building resilience in the face of adversity. Building a robust habit of reflection can take the form of keeping a journal.
There is research evidence of multiple benefits for individuals who adopt an attitude of gratitude, including:
Reduced stress https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-01140-012,
Improved resilience https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-08087-001
Actually measure the increase in brain activity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26746580/
Improved pro-social interactions and improved relationships https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/ - just say thank you, ffs.
The field of positive psychology, the discipline that focuses on “what is right” rather than “what is wrong” in the study of psychology, has faced some robust criticism of oversimplification. By labelling emotions as good or bad based on how it makes people feel, there is a risk of losing perspective, or appreciating the context of individual’s situations.
Certainly an individual dealing with a deeply traumatic event may not be in the position to engage authentically with reflective practice on what they are grateful for. And it may well be crass or insensitive to suggest that they do.
An relentless focusing on the positive without allowing room for acknowledgement of other emotions (Kubler-Ross, anyone?), can be jarring or indeed counterproductive. Banishing negativity is likely to be perceived as Toxic Positivity. And cultures vary greatly in terms of how people express gratitude, or engage in practices of mutual appreciation.
There are ways to gently introduce opportunities for people to show appreciation without being forced. In retrospectives and other team reflective practices, leave a space for people to capture their gratitude for someone. There are multiple tools out there now that let people give “shout outs” or “kudos” in public channels like slack or teams.
As an advocate of an attitude of gratitude, I feel it’s only right that I share some personal gratitude. 2024 has been a challenging year - we uprooted our family from an incredible situation due to illness in the wider family, which saw us move countries, giving up good work, good schools, friends and family contact and a whole raft of opportunity, landing in New Zealand in the midst of the worst economic conditions for over 30 years. Like I say, a challenging year.
And yet, I have so much to be grateful for:
my, and my immediate family’s health
our privileged position of being able to move country at very little notice
the new connections and friendships we have made in our community
our ability to find interesting and rewarding things to do
I could go on at length, but I will spare you.
So I end 2024 feeling grief for what we left behind, but incredibly positive about the future. Thank you for reading.
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