You, like any other strong and empowered individual, strives for perfection and you like to win. Your attitude inspires, your spirit is infectious, and you hope that others look to you as a source of wisdom, and when it comes to gratitude, you are humble and ready to give back. But how you deliver values like gratitude is an important metric.
"Gratitude," as William Faulkner once said, "is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all."
Smart words. Especially when you consider how important altruism and reciprocity is in business. Appreciation, according to many experts, is what inspires others. Even more than money. An environment full of gratitude is a beacon of genuine inspiration, inspiring others far more than money ever will.
A study by Bersin & Associates on recognition outlines this well. The study researched how successful simply saying thank you was in the workplace, and found that companies that "excel at employee recognition" are twelve times more likely to have positive business results.
Meaning that with this one simple instance, in cases where a company places more value on gratitude instead of money, that they'll enjoy greater successes, a stronger business, and happier employees.

Research Backing

Having gratitude has shown to have positive impacts on all the pleasure centers of our brain. The reward network rooted deep inside of our brain, according to one researcher, is hard-wired for gratitude.
From her study entitled "Why People Take Risks To Help Others: Altruism's Roots In The Brain," Abigail Marsh, Associate Professor at Georgetown University, says:
The amygdala in altruists is supersensitive to fear or distress in another's face... They showed this very specific increase in amygdala activation in response to others' fear.
Conversely, the amygdala in a psychopath's brain is significantly smaller. "The brains' emotional radar in psychopaths was blunted and relatively unresponsive to someone else's distress or fear."

The Bottom Line

Many of the most successful companies in the U.S. value and hold gratitude close to their hearts, often exemplifying simple practices that show mutual respect and reciprocity for their employees. It's never an oversight, and is continually shown to lead to positive results, better work habits, and increased health and well-being of all those affected by it.
Simply put,showing gratitude to your team can be a key to success.
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