Gratitude isn’t soft. It’s your strategic edge in a world that celebrates hustle but often forgets humanity.
In my journey spanning over four decades across defence, corporates, and startups, I’ve led under fire and mentored through failure. I’ve built multi-million-dollar businesses and bootstrapped ventures. But one practice, quiet yet enduring, has consistently elevated me through every phase — a gratitude journal.
Not the kind with pretty covers and poetic quotes. Just a daily, gritty reminder to notice what’s working, even when nothing seems to be. Guess what? I maintain it in Excel sheets 😊-
Let me share how this simple ritual — two minutes a day with a pen or, like in my case, keystrokes — can transform your leadership journey.
The pressure was intense. As the recently appointed MD of the inland logistics portfolio, I faced flatlining revenue, a stretched team, and competitors attempting to undermine us with anonymous complaints. Every week brought a fresh crisis.
One morning, after a bruising review call, I sat quietly and opened my gratitude journal — an old habit from my earlier assignment days. I wrote:
1. Grateful for a junior’s courage to point out a flaw in our tactics.
2. Grateful for a client’s tough feedback — it showed they cared about quality.
3. Grateful for the trust placed in me to lead through this.
Something shifted. I walked into the next review calmer and clearer. My tone softened. My questions deepened. And the team, sensing safety, opened up. That week, performance picked up.
Gratitude reframes stress into strength.
Gratitude doesn’t erase problems; it reveals opportunities within them. As I wrote in Achieving Success by Failing More, “Growth hides our sins… when it slows, we see the waste.” Gratitude helps you see clearly — even when tides are out.
Tool: The 3×3 Journal Method
Each night, note:
1. 3 things you’re grateful for
2. 3 people you appreciate
3. 3 learnings from the day
In 21 days, your lens — and your leadership — will change.
In this assignment, I was scaling a national distribution network — 100+ warehouses and 3,000 workers. Things were moving fast. Too fast, and we were struggling to keep up with the pace of change.
Then, we missed quarterly targets. Morale dipped. Blame surfaced. My instinct was to double down. But I paused.
I pulled out my journal:
1. Thankful for a manager who admitted failure to manage the transporters.
2. Thankful for the grit of our warehouse crew through all the labour unrest.
3. Thankful for the chance to regroup, not retreat.
That reset helped me lead with empathy, not ego.
Gratitude builds trust. Trust fuels turnarounds.
When leaders acknowledge effort, teams feel seen, and seen teams stay and soar.
Tool: The Gratitude Loop
Begin each weekly team meeting with the following:
1. One win from the past week
2. One team member to thank
Rotate this. Watch culture bloom.
Now, a light-hearted warning. Let’s call him Rajeev. Brilliant strategist. Drove results. But never said “thank you.”
One day, his team threw a surprise celebration. Balloons, cake, cheers. Rajeev walked in, looked around and asked with a serious face:
“Who approved this budget?”
The air deflated. So did his influence.
Gratitude isn’t optional. It’s oxygen.
Leaders who can’t appreciate end up isolated. Or worse — irrelevant.
Tool: The Gratitude Audit
Once a month, ask:
1. Who did I forget to thank?
2. What effort went unnoticed?
3. What feedback do I owe?
Then, pick one: call, write, or acknowledge publicly.
Following the 2008 financial crisis, our inland business at this port company was under strain. The financials were tight. Rivalries brewed within and outside the group.
But I recalled my principle: what you appreciate appreciates.
I started by sharing personal gratitude entries at Friday huddles. Simple things — like “grateful for a teammate’s persistence” or “grateful for the client’s trust last week.” Slowly, others followed.
Productivity picked up. Negotiations softened. Culture shifted.
Gratitude is contagious — and culture-changing.
Make it visible. Repetition builds culture.
Tool Public Appreciation Ritual
End each town hall or offsite with peer shoutouts. Make it specific, sincere, and optional. The results? Loyalty, clarity, and joy.
Years earlier, I faced my toughest failure — rejection from the fighter flying branch of the Indian Air Force. I was shattered.
Yet, that moment nudged me toward the logistics branch — a path that led to Moscow, global diplomacy, and building businesses. At the time, I retreated inward. But in reflection, I found a gift.
As I shared in my book:
“When things do not work out, the universe is inviting you to improve your game.”
Gratitude turned regret into reinvention.
Gratitude fosters acceptance. Acceptance unlocks growth.
Leaders fail, too — but they bounce back faster when grateful.
Tool: “Catching Up With Myself” Exercise
Take 10 minutes weekly to reflect:
1. What went wrong?
2. What did I learn?
3. What can I be thankful for anyway?
This self-check realigns your inner compass.
Framework: The 4 Gs of Grateful Leadership
1. Grounding — Start your day with a gratitude practice.
2. Giving — Express thanks to others — genuinely and consistently.
3. Growing — Reframe failures with a grateful lens.
4. Guiding — Mentor your team to embed gratitude in their habits.
Use this as a leadership loop. It builds resilience, deepens influence, and sustains energy in high-change environments.
Harvard research shows gratitude improves mood, sleep, immunity, and relationships. In business, it builds cultures of trust and innovation. As I’ve seen mentoring startups and advising corporates, founders who lead with appreciation build faster and break less.
In Achieving Success by Failing More, I wrote:
“Insights usually come from hindsight, when you take the time to reflect.”
Gratitude is how you access that hindsight in real-time.
Concluding: Let’s be clear. Gratitude isn’t a ‘nice-to-have.’ It’s a differentiator. A hidden force that separates leaders who manage from those who inspire.
If you’re navigating a leadership transition — be it from success to significance or startup chaos to corporate calm — start here. With a pen. A notebook or an App, and two minutes of honesty.
Because when you lead with gratitude, you don’t just lead better — you live better.
Now Your Turn:
Tonight, write three things you’re grateful for.
Tomorrow, thank one teammate.
Next week, share your reflections.
Then watch as your leadership transforms — from driven to deeply impactful.
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After four decades of building and scaling ventures in logistics, infrastructure, consulting, and investing, I now support leaders, founders, and enterprises in transition to unlock clarity and create meaningful impact.
If you’re facing a change and need support, let’s connect.