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I pay my respects and acknowledge all Traditional Custodians of Country and on whose land I live and work. I recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Always was, always will be.

Welcome to this week's useletter

focussing on your future not my past, the newsletter without news.

A couple of weeks ago I was at the pub with a couple of friends. We nerd out on mostly archi-geek stuff or pretty standard safe territory. That night was a little exceptional. Talk turned to more emotive things. It turned out two of us had a gratitude practice.

Full disclosure,

I'd been a gratitude sceptic in the past, but gave it a try a few years ago. Rethinking it and as a result I've become a better person, more appreciative, generous and happier.

Gratitude rewires our brain.
(It's science!)

Another perspective... I'm just recovering from a minor illness. Not bad, but sick enough to rest at home. I noticed over the days instead of wallowing I was consciously more appreciative of the comfort of my home, the healthy and tasty food in my fridge, the fact that I could afford to have days off, the access I had to medical testing, and so on. In the past I might've not noticed and taken all of it for granted.

Gratitude is a practice, you can do it alone and it also has value for teams. So this fortnight's useletter is a short primer on gratitude for teams.

I got you

Michael

Gratitude for teams

Practicing gratitude as a team has numerous benefits.

It boosts happiness and reduces stress. You can't be angry, resentful or envious and grateful at the same time.
It builds mental resilience.
You can read more about the science, but all you need to know is it improves your physical and psychological health. Assists better sleep. It positively contributes to self-esteem. Most importantly it's more effective when it's shared with others.

How you can practice gratitude as a team

Note: I realise not everyone reading this will be leading a team, but every one of you has agency in your teams and can choose to step into leadership. Why not bring this practice to any team you're part of, whether leading it or not.

Add it into your reviews

When reviewing projects, at any stage, you might ask: What went well, What didn't? Add a gratitude question, What are you grateful for? You don't need an exhaustive response. You can spend as little as an additional 5 minutes spent on the exercise.

Acknowledge others intentionally

Before you start any meeting give a little time for team members to acknowledge the work of others in the team.

Warm ups

If you run a little warm up exercise at the start of your meetings, try an exercise in gratitude. Ask everyone to contribute something they've been grateful for in the last day or two. It might be something from work, home, play or out in the world.

Reframe failures

Dr Robert Emmons recommends asking the following questions:

Can we find ways to be thankful for what happened to us now, even though we were not thankful at the time it happened?
What ability did the experience draw out of us that surprised us?
Are there ways we have become a better workplace because of this?
Has the experience removed an obstacle that previously prevented us from feeling grateful?

It's a brilliant exercise to do together.

Gratitude will bring your team together, significantly boost wellbeing and their appreciation of each other. Building a positive culture, helping your team through stressful and difficult projects. Gratitude makes a better team and a team better.

You got this.

Let's chat

At unmeasured I take the argh out of architectural practice.

Helping architects rethink and find joy in their practice.

I'd love to hear your story. Book a free 30 minute chat now.

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