This year, I was very proud to see that IIL took my suggestion of creating a custom edition of my first book, The Power of Acknowledgment, to present to every new employee. The custom edition now has our company logo on the front cover –

– and a letter from our Founder, President & CEO, E. LaVerne Johnson as the front page of the book. This initiative is an expression and a validation of what I say about our company all the time – that it has a culture of appreciation and always seeks out opportunities to advance and enhance it.

For when a company believes this kind of environment and culture are important, it listens carefully to those who may not see this desired result in action, and then its leaders have the opportunity to investigate what is missing and to grow. If everyone experiences that culture of appreciation, and feels valued as employees, vendors and customers, that is even better, of course. In any event, I have received permission to share with you the letter that is now the first page of the book in the customized IIL edition.

What all Grateful and Potentially Grateful Leaders need to pay attention to in particular is this excerpt:

We know that gifted professionals such as you have many opportunities, and
we thank you for choosing to join the IIL team. We look forward to working
with you to continue to uphold our commitment to Intelligence, Integrity
and Innovation.

This is something that even Grateful Leaders sometimes forget – that all of their people have the opportunity to leave at any point, or to not choose their company first of all as the place where they want to spend their days and devote their energies. I am glad that our CEO knows and practices this on a daily basis. I’m sure that’s why I am still at IIL after 20 years. And I really believe that I could not have realized my mission and my passion of bringing the power of acknowledgment and grateful leadership to the world in so powerful a form anywhere else. I am truly grateful for the opportunities and support for my vision that I have been given by the leadership of IIL.

May you give your people your consistent gratitude and appreciation, and have them realize their passions and their missions while in your organization. If this is the case, like me, they won’t ever want to go anywhere else!