Leading With Gratitude: Building Prosperity Through Empowerment
- Nov 14
- 3 min read
By Ana Valdez
President & CEO, Latino Donor Collaborative
I have learned that leadership rooted in gratitude isn’t soft; it’s strategic. When we recognize the people who help us move forward, we unlock more than goodwill. We unlock potential, trust, and growth.
My own journey has been shaped by gratitude at every turn. I was born and raised in Mexico City and have been fortunate to work with institutions like the United Nations, the White House, and Nielsen. But the most fulfilling chapter of my career began when I joined the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC), a think tank that produces data on the economic impact of Latinos in the United States. Every day, I get to lead a team that tells a story that has too often been left untold: that U.S. Latinos are not a charitable cause, but one of the strongest economic engines of our nation.
Our data show that the U.S. Latino economy has reached $4 trillion, the fifth largest in the world if measured independently, and continues to grow twice as fast as the rest of the country. Latinos are sustaining the U.S. workforce, leading entrepreneurship growth, and driving consumer demand. These facts are not just numbers; they represent human stories of resilience, work ethic, and aspiration. Recognizing this truth is, in itself, an act of gratitude, an acknowledgment of contributions that strengthen our shared prosperity.
Gratitude, to me, is the practice of seeing others clearly. It means noticing the colleague who goes the extra mile, the entrepreneur who takes a risk, the young student who dares to dream beyond what society expects. When leaders start from this place of awareness, we create environments where people feel valued, not invisible. That emotional connection becomes an economic multiplier. At the LDC, our success has come from building partnerships based on respect, , and recognition, not just of what people do, but of who they are. And data shows a clear picture when we want to see an X accurately.
I often tell younger professionals that gratitude is not passive. It’s not a thank-you card at the end of a project; it’s how you show up every day. It’s listening before reacting. It’s mentoring without expecting something in return. It’s leading with empathy but making decisions with discipline.
The leaders I admire most are those who turn gratitude into accountability, who don’t just say thank you but invest time and energy to help others rise.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen that gratitude becomes truly powerful when it’s embedded in systems. It’s not only about appreciation; it’s about creating structures that make opportunity accessible to all. As leaders, we can make gratitude part of how we hire, promote, and measure success, turning values into long-term impact.
In a time of division, gratitude reminds us that collaboration is strength. It has guided me through difficult conversations and moments of uncertainty. It has helped me lead with both rigor and compassion. And it has reminded me, time and again, that leadership is not about being in charge, it’s about being of service.
As we enter this season of thanks, I invite every leader to consider how gratitude can be more than a feeling. Let it be a framework for how you build your teams, your communities, and your legacy. When we lead with gratitude, we don’t just create success stories, we create a culture of empowerment that endures.
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