With Thanksgiving around the corner, everyone is talking about being thankful—but does gratitude actually have a place in a high-performance business environment?

In this episode, Brian and Matt go beyond the cliché of the "glass half full." They dig into a recent Substack article by Brian to explore how gratitude acts as more than just a warm sentiment; it is a tangible strategic resource for resilience and leadership.

We discuss the downsides of "forced gratitude" in difficult work cultures, the crucial difference between praising outcomes vs. praising effort, and how to overcome the brain's natural negativity bias.

In this episode, we cover:

The "Papering Over" Trap: Why you should never use gratitude to mask poor working conditions or lack of resources.

Gratitude vs. Pride: A deep dive into how we distinguish between valuing the outcome (pride) and valuing the source (gratitude).

Leading vs. Lagging Indicators: Why leaders should stop praising the sale (the result) and start praising the preparation (the input).

Scalable Skills: How to give feedback that reinforces core values rather than just specific tasks 

The Negativity Bias: Explore why your brain defaults to seeing problems and why gratitude requires active practice.

Key Quote: "Gratitude isn't just the mindset to see the positive side of things. It's leveraging those positives in order to fuel change."