Welcome from Judith W. Umlas: Our Story

I want to personally welcome you, with heartfelt warmth and gratitude, to the Center for Grateful Leadership! When IIL first published The Power of Acknowledgment back in 2006, we had no idea how many tens of thousands of people would be embracing and supporting this work. At that time, I put forth a bold and daring vision in the first words of the Introduction to the book:

“What actions would you take if you knew with absolute certainty that a simple action you could take every day for no cost and little effort would change your world, and the world at large, dramatically and profoundly for the better? What if this ability is something every person on this planet possesses, yet few use much if at all? What if using it regularly would transform your relationship with your husband or wife? What if doing it would make your colleagues at work not be able to do enough for you, and make the office atmosphere vibrant, productive and alive instead of lethargic, competitive, frustrated and bored? 

All of this is possible, yet most people don’t recognize this incredible tool or understand its power. What all of us possess, but most of us don’t use often enough, is the power of acknowledgment. Many of us have our reasons for not using it, but these are just excuses, rationalizations that hold us back from achieving powerful, positive results wherever we are or go. I have written this book to help people understand and use a tool that I believe can produce profound and dramatic changes in our intimate circles and far beyond.”

We have made incredible progress toward achieving this goal in the decade since the publication of this book. The Power of Acknowledgment is the foundation upon which Grateful Leadership is built. You, knowing the value of this initiative, have taken it upon yourself to join this community of like-minded people. Every one of you wants to make a huge and powerful difference in the world, in order to make it better for all and to start doing so immediately.

What has so deeply inspired me as I have trained tens of thousands of people all over the world, is their contagious enthusiasm and the immediate actions they take toward putting this tool into practice, in every part of their lives and work.

It is our intention to give you as many ways to create this difference through your active participation in the Center for Grateful Leadership as we can all come up with — as an empowered and empowering community. We welcome your ideas and suggestions, we will share your successes, and we will coach you as best we can on dealing with your disappointments and help you turn them into successes.

Now that you are a member of the Center for Grateful Leadership, we invite you to be an active participant in helping us to achieve the greatest possible success in changing the world for the better. Reach out to your team members, to your leaders, to your friends and family to join us on this transformational journey – to be a part of the Center for Grateful Leadership. In that way we can – and will – do this together!

 

With profound gratitude,

Judith W. Umlas

Senior Vice President, Author, Facilitator
International Institute for Learning, Inc.
[email protected]