#links in the text are just to other drawings i did while ruminating on this scene

[heybiji]

That causes Dande’s resolve to soften somewhat...

[baellgobb]

Cupid’s classic play conspiracy

Premise: At this time Winter and Qrow have quarrelled for months at every opportunity before busloads of witnesses, they are thoroughly busted before everyone except themselves. 

Salem’s attack on Vacuo was stopped just barely in the last moment at the cost of many casualties. To bolster troop morale before going into the villain’s territory a week of rest and recreation was decided. The camp was set up on a desolate plain in the vicinity of an ancient amphitheatre which had served as a makeshift fortress during the Grimm attack.

A council was elected to organize the recreation activities. After the council’s session the members were presenting their results in the damaged theatre. Winter professionally approving of this strategy sat in the audience composed of battled huntsmen and huntresses.

The council’s spokesperson proclaimed “We will stage “Much ado about nothing”, the cast will be decided by lot. Obviously there are not enough roles in the play, so there will also be tasks for stage setting, costume preparation and other supportive work in the lot. If you are lucky, you will be just audience and enjoy other people’s effort. After the lots have been prepared we will start immediately with the draw”

Winter dug into her classic education. It was a romance comedy with a silly subplot about two people Beatrice and Benedick who constantly quarrelled not noticing that they were in love - absurd, but seemingly appropriate for cheering up and distracting young warriors.

Later a comittee member with Weiss in tow showed up at Winter’s ship with a wicker basket filled with an enormous amount of lots. “Draw” the comittee member mocked. Fully expecting an “audience” lot, because it was the most numerous Winter obliged, picked and opened her lot, actually a folded piece of paper. “Benedick” She would have to memorize a considerable amount of text, and obviously she was in the silly, absurd subplot. But duty demanded that she did her best to restore troop morale after such horrendous losses. Her sister immediately broke out into laughter: “I am in the costume party, I will make sure you get an awesome beard to start with and then some”.

Being now part of the cast, Winter took a look at the roster after it was pinned on posts which were erected throughout the camp. She did not get farther than the first line

Beatrice: Qrow Branwen

Within an instant she found herself trying to trade assignments with her sister. However her sister bounced her off, and even started lecturing: “The point about the lots is exactly that you cannot pick, trading would obviously ruin part of the fun. Furthermore, you are not afraid of a little crossdressing aren’t you? Besides you had stellar grades in infiltration (Winter had never shown her grades, because of classified, but she had stellar grades in every subject) some impersonation should be no problem for you.”

Although Winter desperately wanted to get rid of her role, she had a feeling that extensive efforts in trading it off would draw in absolutely undesired attention, so she decided to stay quiet and surrendered herself to this fate bestowed on her. With inexplicable creeping nervousness she started memorizing her part.

After several days of preparation the great day of performing had finally arrived ...

The first act started and Beatrice (Qrow, wearing a blonde wig with a distinct list and a voluminous, colourful dress emanating the decadence of a bygone era as far as that goes based on a hodgepodge of sewn-together leftover textiles) was waiting for the party containing Benedick (Winter) to arrive. Beatrice started a barrage of insults against the yet absent Benedick. As expected by everyone Qrow delivered a lively performance and the audience started laughing.

Then the party arrived having disembarked at harbour and moved to the house of Beatrice’s uncle. Weiss had not promised too much, Winter’s beard was awesome though more in length than in density. She was also decked out with helmet and breastplate of the finest aluminium foil and a trusty wood sword. To relieve her tension Winter as Benedick went all in and let fly her scripted verbal counterfire, she actually had not to act that much. The audience jeered them on enthusiastically. Emboldened Winter decided to go through with the act, verbal exchanges, marriage ceremony and kiss. It was just a play after all, so nobody would get the wrong idea. Furthermore it was for the morale of the troops. Finally she would not be outdone by that idiot in the realm of impersonation and by extension infiltration.

After the play finished the cast received the applause of the audience, play pairs holding hands.

During the seventh curtain of roaring applause (mixed with laughter) from the audience Winter finally snapped and pounced at Qrow. Too many people were obviously having too much fun including and especially that idiot and even worse herself. The roar of laughter only increased in intensity. as they rolled back and forth across the floor of the stage with her screaming unintelligible abuse, shedding wig and foil helmet left and right. The wrestling extra was abruptly ended by the two contestants missing to reverse at the edge of the stage and falling out of view behind it. Winter’s fall was softened by three wicker baskets then Qrow crashed on top of her. She found herself beneath Qrow lying in an empty basket with her arms in the other two, both her hands buried in - paper lots. She retrieved her left hand full of lots, when she crumpled them, some of them opened, reading: “Benedick”, “Benedick”, “Benedick”...  When she checked the content of her other hand, she already knew it: “Beatrice”, “Beatrice”, “Beatrice”. It was a conspiracy with a capital “C”.

Sobered, she freed herself from the equally astonished Qrow (simulated or real?) and went straight to her personal cabin in her ship not paying attention to anyone. She had a conspirator to expose. With professional, efficient movements, she prepared a piece of paper and arranged a table. First row: suspects, this row was filled in alphabetical order with people known to her. Second row: motive, people related to me in a sufficient way, to do something like that. She put an “X” in Ironwood’s row, then went on through the list until she reached Qrow, She hesitated thinking “What have I to do with him?” but then gave him an “X” anyway obviously because “This idiot is the prime suspect for pranks.” Near the bottom of the list another X was placed in the row of her sister Weiss while she already thought about the next item. Then she added a column for means, which was knowledge about classic plays. the conspiracy was organized around one. Blake got an “X”, but her first column was empty. Agitated, she moved on in anticipation of pinning the prime suspect, but when she arrived at Qrow’s row she could not imagine that moron to read a classic play in the original. And it was no modern comic adaptation the conspirator had used. Almost running out of suspects she arrived at her sister who as a daughter of a “noble” house had received the same kind of prestigious education as herself. That made her sister the only person with “Xs” in both columns. “YOU????” Winter exclaimed in disbelief. No need to go on to the fourth row for opportunity, the conspirator was unmasked.

Regaining her incredible self-control in an instant Winter ordered her treacherous sister to meet her at her ship. Weiss showed up after a suspiciously short time. Not wasting any precious time Winter immediately confronted her sister, shouing: “You rigged the lottery!” surprisingly she lost steam after this introduction and continued with a lame “... but why???”. Weiss grinned and retorted: “Because you have to bring your love live in order!”. Winter stepped back then froze for an instant, after recovering she moved in to slap Weiss who dodged leaving Winter defenseless for the split of a second. Weiss counterslapped her big sister “I knew that was coming. There are just two people you are treating like that. Me and HIM. I know you love me. Actually I should be jealous, because I only get slaps while you are going with sharp blades after him.” Standing like a midsize Grimm hit by Silver Eyes Winter had to endure a follow up backhand slap from Weiss. “That was just to drive my point home, I have to admit, I wanted to do that for a long time. Just needed a sufficient piece of advice to go with.”

Winter started pacing madly in the confined space of her ship ruminating about what to do with her sister’s revelation,

Thanks to everyone who made it this far. I hope that qunatity of letters was not all what was delivered in this 50th post. Sorry, that the tags give away the identity of cupid. Here again a link to the actual play Much ado about nothing. There is also a movie.

If inspired feel free to alter/expand as you please for your own fanfic, a lot of roles are unaccounted for.

[ask-de-writer]

GONE TO SEA : World of Sea : Science Fiction : Part 3

GONE TO SEA

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

WORK IN PROGRESS (Word count unknown at this time)

copyright 2018

Writing started 2005

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions. All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

Chapter 02. Colony

All thousand of the new colonists of Sea stood in the largest recreational plaza to wish the crew of the ESA 14 farewell.  Captain Alain wound up his speech by saying, “We have done our best to ensure that this colony has as good a start as it can have.  You know that we would have been willing to take you all back with us if it were possible.  The laws governing the physics of the Crossover drive will not let us.  

“We will see that an expedition is sent to see how you are doing as quickly as the ESA can do so.  You will be on your own until then. Sometime between forty two to fifty years from now they will arrive. Until then, may you be blessed by whatever Deity you choose to pray to.

“I hope that the relief expedition finds you well and prospering.  May that vessel need only take back whatever unique and wonderful trade goods and ideas you have found to contribute to the community of mankind among the stars.”

To somewhat subdued cheers, the crew of the ESA 14 filed aboard their Slowpoke shuttle to return to the orbiting starship.  Lifting with the silence of any well functioning Crossover device, the shuttle dwindled into the sky and was gone.

Giles Willon turned to Marcus Angerson and observed, “Got to say, this planet is a bit of a disappointment.”  He flexed his elbows out from his body and finished with a grin, “Expected more elbow room. Know what I mean?”

Marcus snapped back, “Are you mocking me?  You know that I am a soils engineer!  The services of my specialty have been vital to the very survival of all twenty three other ESA colonies.  Why did the ESA even bother sending me here?  There is no land to bring to the needs of mankind.  No soils to engineer at all!  This is a travesty!”

Giles raised hand placatingly.  “There is no need for such anger, Marcus. We all know why we are here.  None of us is suited to a world like this.  The probe that found this planet was programmed incorrectly but nobody knew it until we got here.  

“Its program assumed that any planet with an atmosphere like this one meant that it had significant land masses and that some form of photosynthetic plant life had to exist.  That is all.  We all knew that no matter what we found here, it was a one way trip for us.  It was a gamble.  We sort of lost.”

Small, black haired and eyed Pele Barant interjected, “Maybe we did win but just haven't realized it yet.  The gods can be really sneaky that way.”

With a sneer, Marcus turned his back on her, muttering, “False gods!”

Giles looked down a bit to Pele's usually cheerful Polynesian face and said, “Don't mind him.  He is just disappointed with his situation, that is all.

“By the way, I enjoyed working on the truss work of this station with you. You did a great design job.  We are lucky to have someone with your civil and mechanical engineering skills and marine architecture experience with us.”

Pele flashed Giles a ready smile and said, “Thank you.  I appreciate having someone who can look down to my face and up to my work at the same time.”

/////////

As the weeks passed into months, the station began to settle into a routine as people got used to the strange situation that they found themselves in.

/////////

In his quarters, Marcus Angerson closed the door of his study to shut out the sounds of his wife Trisha and their two children Benjamin and Lora while he brooded on the wrongness of his situation.  He pulled the blinds to seal away the glare of the sun and the vile sight of the endless ocean, with not so much as a sandbar above sea level anywhere on the entire planet.  

There is no reason to it!  All of my years of study on how to adapt alien soils to the needs of mankind have been wasted.  Instead of being one of the most vital men for the colony's survival, I am now very nearly the least. What should I do?

His eye fell to the Bible on his working desk.  Sourly, he picked it up and began to read.  Somehow, it did not give the solace that it used to in times of difficulty.  Doggedly, he went all the way back to Genesis and began at the very beginning.

////////

Hugh Barant raced his wife Pele and daughter Mala'klea to their quarters. His long legs could have easily overtaken them but young Mala'klea loved beating him in races, as long as he didn't make it too easy for her.  Mala'klea's small hand hit the door frame only a tiny fraction of a second before Hugh's.  Flashing her father a high-spirited grin, Mala'klea ducked into their apartment.  Pele was already drawing wide the blinds to allow the generous sun of Sea to shine into their rooms and let them see the wonder of a rolling ocean that had no end.

There were some of Sea's many kinds of birds perching on the railing of their balcony.  They were waiting to see if the people inside had something that they would share with the birds . . . or that the birds could steal for that matter.  The birds apparently didn't see much difference.  Besides, Pele or Mala'klea always set out a plate of something for them to squabble over.  Today was no exception. Pele produced a fresh plate with a roasted fish that she had speared the other day while diving on the reef.  A small bird-storm developed around the plate.  The Barants sat on their side of the glass and watched with laughter and hugs.

/////////

Down in the Bio-safety and Nutrition laboratory, Kaim Hawadie told his many assistants, “Now that things are finally together, we need to got on the stick.  While we were helping to build this place we did get some reports out.  Just the construction area, less than one tenth of this reef complex, has yielded us a backlog of over three thousand samples to analyze.  

“To help out, we have devised a report cover page that lists the following items.  1. Toxic, 1a. Useful Y/N, 2. Edible- no nutritional value, 3. Edible- contains ______,  4. Pharmacological value ______, 5. Other useful features _______.

“Our job is to get the reports out as quickly and accurately as possible. Of course, we are watching for the thymine, lysine and missing vitamins in every organism or sample that we test.  If we find them, those reports will get a special red flag cover.

“Other experts will be trying to make sense out of our reports.  Our job, and it is a big one, is just to get them the data.  Now let's get to the analysis.”

/////////

Mister Torres sat back in an easy chair and watched his son Jason playing on the living room carpet.  It was a Periodic Table game.  His lovely and talented wife Mikhala was sitting opposite Jason, taking her turn at the game's cards.

Sadly he wondered, Will this place last long enough for you to grow up, Jason?  Mikhala, will we live to see grandchildren?  I really had no choice in doing this.  What we have here is the best that I could give to you all.  It is simply a hope.  In the end, an empty hope.

Perhaps, Mikhala, my love, your knowledge of Slowpoke drive systems will let us move into space.  I will need to ask you about the possibility of building us another shuttle.  We can't risk such a move with only one shuttle.  Farms in orbit or under domes on Wotan might actually allow us to survive.  Down here those monster Coriolis storms doom long term farming or pretty much anything else.

I wish that I had someone that I could open up to about these things.

Mister Torres went back to studying his tablet computer.  Immersing himself in the multitude of tasks needed to keep the colony running as smoothly as possible provided relief from his fatalistic ruminations.

/////////

Molly Miken called Mister Makle on the video link and invited, “Hey, Bronnie!  Me and my structural maintenance crew are planning a barbecue cook-out and pot luck down on dock A.  Want to come?  Bring Tam and your son Mark along.  We requisitioned one of the work boats for the afternoon to play about.”

A grin on his face, Mister Makle replied, “We will be there.  We will have to stop by the Commissary to get something, though.  Tam just got off work and Mark is on his way back from school.  By the way, please don't spread my first name around, I took a lot of ribbing in school over it.”

Molly promptly shot back, “Don't worry about that, Boss!  Your secret is safe with me!  Unless I need to blackmail you for better working conditions . . . Bronnie.”

///////////

Marcus Angerson laid aside the Koran.  In his shuttered den, away from the detested sight of endless ocean and the glare of the sun that could spawn such an abominable world, he glared at the books as if his problems were their fault.  He thought, Months wasted.  None of these, not the Bible, Koran or any of the other religious texts that I can find sheds any light on the real problem.  

Once again, the small voice that had been prodding and guiding him for the last month or so offered, ((Of course they don't.  Those books were written on Earth and, though they might provide some guidance, they were for the Earth.  You are not on Earth.  I do have a Plan for you, but the time is not yet ripe.))

Why am I so unnecessary?  By all rights I should be the most important single man in the colony!  In spite of my vital education, I remain utterly worthless. A mere teacher of children!

((At least that little pagan Barant got what she has had coming to her. In the end, all must come to Me.  Before that happens, you may need to be brought lower still.))

A knock at his study door interrupted Marcus' brooding.  Trisha, his wife, put her head in and announced, “Honey, dinner is waiting.  Would you please join us today?  We know how hard you are working, what with all of those school papers to grade.  Ben and Lora have missed you these last few weeks.”

With ill grace, Marcus came out to the apartment's dining area.  The window was open to the lowering sun, setting in a glory of low clouds, gilding them with gold, red and purple.  A light breeze came in off the ocean outside.

Seeing the light and the sight of the endless sea that he had been studiously shutting out irritated him.  Marcus strode angrily to the window and slid it shut with a bang.  He pulled the blinds, plunging the cheerful room into the gloom that better suited his mood.

Marcus stamped back to the table and sat.  He was reaching for his coffee when he heard Trisha's voice begin, “Sweet Lord, we thank you for the company at this table and this fine fish that you have provided us . . .”

Rudely he interrupted, “What are you doing?  The blessing is my duty!”

Benjamin, hands still folded, said mildly, “We didn't mean to upset you, father.  You haven't been here to say it for the last several weeks. We have been taking turns.  It was Mom's turn today.  Would you please say the grace for us?”

As he started to fold his hands, Marcus' eyes fell on the fish that lay on the plate at the center of the table.  It lay on a bed of green and wrinkly sea lettuce.  There was a hole through it, just back of the gills.  His brows drew down in a rage.  He demanded, “You were just asking me to sign for household money!  How could you afford such a fish as this?  You lied to me about being out of money!”

As Trisha looked up in shock at the accusation, Benjamin spoke up.  “The fish didn't cost us anything, Dad.  The Barants went diving on the reef a few days ago.  Pele sent Mala'klea around with it as a gift.”

Marcus' lip curled in disdain as he demanded, “And what would you have made for our dinner if you had not begged from that, that . . . heathen?”

Lora gave her father a confused look and said, “Nothing.  The kitchen is empty.  The Commissary turned down Mom's card when we went to shop today.  They said that there was no money left in it.  That is why she has been trying to get you to sign the transfer.”

Ignoring his daughter, Marcus grabbed the plate from the table and hurled both it and the fish on it against the wall.  He yelled in outrage, “We will not bend the knee to those vile pagans!

“That false idol worshiping fiend is behind all of my, eh, our misfortune!  At every turn, she is put up on a pedestal and I am cast lower!”

Trisha, eyes wide in fear, was looking at her husband as if she had never before seen him.  Tentatively she extended her tablet and stylus, saying, “Please dear, just sign the transfer and I will buy you whatever you want for din . . .”  Her head rocked back as Marcus slapped her in the face.  Her tablet fell to the table and skittered to a stop against Lora's dinner plate.

His own face twisted into a feral snarl, Marcus withdrew his stinging hand. Blood mingled with the tears that trickled down Trisha's cheek. He raged, “I sign you money every week!  You should have plenty!  Use it!”

Cringing in fear after his father's outburst, Benjamin found the courage to say, “You haven't signed us any money for about a month.  You keep saying that you will do it presently but you haven't done it.”

Scrabbling to recover her tablet, Trisha extended it in another desperate attempt to get the money that they all needed.  “Please, Marcus. Benjamin is right.  It has been three weeks since we had a weekly transfer for the household funds.  We are behind on our bills.  We have the money in the bank to pay for everything.  All that you need to do is sign the transfer.”

Anger causing him to draw a separate breath for each word, Marcus growled, “I. Am. Going. Out. . . When. I. Return. There. Will. be. Food. Fit. For. A. Godly. Man!”

Confused, the slap that she received bringing her greater pain than the brutal physical impact, Trisha asked, “Marcus?  What is wrong with you?  I am doing my best to . . .”  This time, the now furious Marcus hit her face so hard that her chair went over.  The tablet went flying, bouncing from the wall and landing on the floor.  The back of Trisha's head hit the wall and then thumped to the floor as she fell. Benjamin and Lora ran for their room and locked the door.

Marcus drove his heel deliberately into the tough glass of the tablet face, shattering it as he strode to the apartment door.  Over his shoulder he snapped, “You have joined the many seeking to bring me, to bring God Himself down and lift up the pagan above all!  It must not be! You must uphold me, uphold God, with proper food or suffer the consequence!”  The door slammed behind his retreating form.

/////////

TO BE CONTINUED

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[ncmagroup]

How to Encourage Gratitude in the Workplace

For many people, “thanks-giving” is a tradition that happens around the dinner table once a year. But research suggests that leaders should encourage gratitude in the workplace year-round.

The Science of Gratitude

Gratitude can be defined as a positive emotion felt after receiving something valuable. And science has shown that people who are grateful feel happier. They have an improved sense of well-being, higher self-esteem, and experience less depression and anxiety. They also sleep better. And one study even found that differences in levels of gratitude are responsible for about 20% of individual differences in overall life satisfaction.

According to researchers, gratitude is powerful because it is a complex social emotion. In other words, it’s an emotion that makes us think about others. We can’t be grateful that someone went out of his or her way to help us unless we stop and think about the situation from the other person’s perspective. It’s little wonder that gratitude has also been linked to oxytocin — the hormone associated with social bonding.

The Gratitude Gap in the Workplace

Despite its compelling benefits, expressing gratitude doesn’t always happen at work. One study found that while about half of people regularly say thank you to their family members, only about 15% of people regularly say thank you at work. The same study found that 35% of people say that their managers have never thanked them. This muted expression of gratitude in the workplace compared to other contexts can be thought of as the “gratitude gap.”

Yet a recent Glassdoor survey found that 80% of employees say they would be willing to work harder for an appreciative boss.

These statistics suggest that leaders who encourage gratitude in the workplace are likely to reap the benefits of a more engaged and productive workforce — as employees who practice gratitude even take fewer sick days. And at a study conducted at a fundraising center, calls were boosted by 50% after a director thanked employees for their work.

So why is there a gratitude gap in the workplace? Wharton Business School professor Adam Grant believes it’s because people don’t like to admit they need help at work, and thanking someone means admitting you couldn’t do it all on your own.

Gratitude Helps You Thrive in the Face of Change

In the workplace, gratitude is particularly important during times of change, precisely because change cannot be done alone.

Today’s constant change — and the resulting chronic stress — requires leaders to increase their “3 Cs” — communication, collaboration, and commitment. Lack of communication and trust makes it hard to create a shared vision and lowers the odds of successful change implementation.

Because gratitude is a complex social emotion, it draws people together in pursuit of a greater vision. For instance, in the fundraising center study, self-reported data showed that callers didn’t make more calls because they felt more confident or more effective. Instead, they made more calls because they felt an increased sense of social worth — feeling valued by others.

How to Be More Grateful

Ready to reap gratitude’s many benefits? Luckily, you don’t need any fancy tools or advanced degrees. Here are 3 simple exercises that have been scientifically proven to boost your gratitude levels.

Send a note expressing your gratitude. Research shows that writing a letter thanking someone for the positive impact he or she has had in your life is a great way to boost your gratitude. Or, send a text, if you prefer. Take out your phone right now (if it’s not out already), and send a simple text to someone you’re grateful to have in your life and let them know that you are thinking of them.

Keep a gratitude journal – or even just a list. Gratitude journals are popular these days and for good reason. Keeping a journal of people and things for which you’re grateful can increase your feelings of gratitude. If you’re not the journaling type, don’t worry; research shows that making a short list works, too. Some research suggests that a short list once a week might actually be more effective than doing it daily. Just jot down 3 things you’re grateful for on a Post-It note. Stick it somewhere you’ll see it often, and refresh it weekly. (Some people even create gratitude jars for this purpose, like these from our office in San Diego.)

Take time for reflection. Research has also found that simply reflecting on the many aspects of your job — large and small — for which you’re grateful can boost gratitude levels. These might include supportive work relationships, sacrifices or contributions that others have made for you, advantages or opportunities, or gratitude for the opportunity to have your job in general. Going on a short “gratitude walk” is a great way to take a timeout for this reflection. If you’re feeling inclined, repeat the exercise and think about the many aspects of your life for which you’re grateful (family, friends, hobbies, etc.).

  How to Increase Gratitude in the Workplace

Boost worker engagement and productivity – as well as satisfaction and health – by increasing gratitude in your workplace. Here are 4 ways to help encourage gratitude in the workplace and foster more thanks-giving year-round at work:

Offer thank-you cards. During his tenure at Campbell Soup, then-CEO Doug Conant wrote 30,000 handwritten thank-you notes to his employees. This practice, along with others, has been credited with how he created a culture of gratitude and turned around a struggling company. Do 30,000 letters seem daunting? Take a page out of Mark Zuckerberg’s playbook and aim for just one a day. To encourage others to do the same, emulate Starbucks and offer unlimited company thank-you cards for employees to use.

Make a gratitude wall. Create a designated space for employees to share shout-outs and words of thanks. This can be a wall, a whiteboard, a flip chart in a common area…be creative! A public, anonymous display of gratitude is a great way to introduce gratitude into the workplace culture and keep employees feeling appreciated.

Start meetings with gratitude. A simple way to cultivate gratitude at work is to begin meetings by sharing a short statement of appreciation (remember the difference this made in the fundraising center study!). Or, if you want to take this approach to the next level, try having everyone in the meeting share one thing they’re grateful for — it makes a great icebreaker.

When things go wrong, count your blessings. It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well. But gratitude can have an even bigger impact if you’re going through a rough patch. So, next time something goes wrong at work, see if you can find the silver lining. What did you learn from the experience? What opportunity did it offer you? Share these insights with your team. Being able to be truly grateful during times of challenge and change is a great way to stop negative rumination spirals and get people motivated and energized.

  Get Great at Gratitude

Encouraging more gratitude in the workplace (like any other initiative) is prone to fail if you just go through the motions. Here are 4 tips for expressing your gratitude in a more impactful way:

Be grateful for people, not performance. Sometimes, gratitude initiatives can feel like old recognition programs warmed over. To avoid this feeling, focus on social worth and think about how people have made a difference. Give thanks for people’s willingness, enthusiasm, commitment, or efforts — not their impact on the bottom line.

Customize your thanks-giving. Practicing gratitude requires thinking about how specific people like to be thanked, and tailoring your gratitude accordingly. Thanking a very shy person at the global quarterly meeting might come across more like punishment than recognition.

Be specific in your gratitude. Saying “thanks for being awesome” doesn’t have the same impact as “thank you for always getting to meetings 5 minutes early to set up the projector; I know that our meetings wouldn’t go as well if we didn’t have you.”

Don’t fake it. Authenticity and vulnerability are key parts of gratitude. If you can’t think of anything you’re truly grateful for, don’t try to fake it. Most people can tell when thanks aren’t heartfelt, and fake gratitude is probably worse than none at all.

Lastly, research shows that whether you’re an absolute novice or gratitude guru, everyone can reap the positive benefits of giving and receiving thanks. So, get out there and start encouraging more gratitude in the workplace!

  Go to our website:   www.ncmalliance.com

Giving Thanks Will Make You a Better Leader How to Encourage Gratitude in the Workplace For many people, “thanks-giving” is a tradition that happens around the dinner table once a year.