Leading with Thanks:How Gratitude Became My Essential Leadership Strategy
- Nov 7
- 3 min read
By Lindsey Dinneen
When people ask about the turning point in my leadership journey, they often expect a dramatic pivot—an overnight success, a risky leap, or a hard-won comeback. But my defining moment wasn’t about taking a single bold step. It was about a quiet decision: to lead with gratitude.
Years ago, while directing a nonprofit professional dance company and running a growing studio, I faced the kind of exhaustion that many entrepreneurs know too well. Every day felt like a sprint to manage rehearsals, finances, marketing, and morale. I loved my work deeply, but I was burning out. One night, after a long tech rehearsal, I looked around at my team—dancers practicing late into the evening, volunteers cleaning up without being asked, mentors cheering us on and advocating for us—and I realized something profound: our greatest strength wasn’t just talent or commitment. It was how we made each other feel.
That realization refined my entire leadership philosophy. I started being even more intentional about weaving “thank you” or “I appreciate you” into every interaction. Gratitude became a strategic choice. I wrote personalized notes. I celebrated small wins publicly. I built acknowledgment into the rhythm of our rehearsals, meetings, and performances.
The results were immediate and measurable. Collaboration deepened, and creativity flourished. Perhaps more importantly, we all found joy in our daily work. The risk, of course, was that leading with gratitude could have been mistaken for softness, or the perception that empathy could dilute authority. But I discovered the opposite. Gratitude, when authentic, doesn’t weaken leadership—it anchors it. It transforms authority into influence.
That lesson has followed me through every chapter since, into corporate marketing leadership, entrepreneurship, and now my work as Director of Marketing & Engagement for a medtech consulting company, Project Medtech. Whether I’m guiding a marketing team, coaching founders, or managing high-stakes client launches, gratitude remains the core of my leadership playbook.
One example stands out. I once led a cross-functional team of more than fifty people, including dancers, aerialists, actors, tech crew, and volunteers, for a large-scale production with limited funding and a tight timeline. The logistics were grueling. But instead of focusing on constraints, I doubled down on appreciation. I recognized effort in real time. I sent late-night messages of thanks. I made sure every person knew how much their role mattered. People stayed motivated not because they were required to, but because they felt seen.
That experience reinforced a truth I now share often: people don’t just want to be paid; they want to be valued. Even in high-performing professional settings, acknowledgment is the ultimate retention strategy. When people feel appreciated, they contribute with heart, not just hands.
As the host of The Leading Difference podcast, I’ve interviewed dozens of executives who’ve achieved remarkable success across industries. What they share isn’t a particular methodology. It’s a mindset. The best leaders understand that gratitude is both fuel and compass.
It fuels perseverance when challenges arise, and it keeps us oriented toward purpose when ambition tempts us to drift.
Gratitude isn’t passive. It’s powerful. It bridges the space between intention and impact. It transforms teams into communities, workplaces into ecosystems, and tasks into shared missions. For me, gratitude has become more than a leadership style; it’s a growth strategy grounded in humanity.
If I could offer one message to women entrepreneurs reading this, it would be this: never underestimate the compounding power of thanks. Your words of appreciation might be the reason someone stays, tries again, or believes they can. Gratitude doesn’t just reflect what’s going well—it creates more of it.
Leading with thanks hasn’t just shaped my career; it’s shaped who I am. And that, I’ve learned, is the real mark of success—not just building something meaningful, but doing it in a way that makes others feel valued along the way.
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