Chris Schembra

In a world where leadership often translates to quicker decisions, larger initiatives, and greater pressures, it's easy to overlook the core elements that sustain long-term success. Leaders are struggling not just to excel but to meaningfully connect in ways that promote sustainable excellence.

The typical response to mounting pressures is to accelerate efforts—more output, more innovation, more speed. But might true excellence stem from a deeper, often neglected source? What if the pathway to outstanding achievement lies in the quiet power of gratitude?

This keynote explores how gratitude isn't just about giving thanks—it's a strategic advantage that can redefine leadership and organizational success. We'll delve into how historical figures like Paul Revere and modern innovators like Toyota have achieved remarkable excellence by embedding gratitude into their leadership ethos. Learn how these principles can foster a culture of continuous improvement, deeper engagement, and superior performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Embrace Slow Listening: When leaders create space and time to slow down, they prioritize understanding, empathy, learning, and genuine connections. Slow listeners make great innovators. They connect disparate ideas and bring into the world solutions only they are deeply qualified to bring.
- Generosity in Service: We tell the story of Paul Revere, the super connector that risked his life on Aril 18th, 1775 to spread the message that the war was coming. The greatest leaders build networks of weak ties, acting as information brokers, catalysts, and connectors, fostering change and uniting diverse groups within their organizations in meaningful ways. We have to be prepared to be strong and to be the navigator of change, because we are the glue that holds a lot of the things together for this.
- Focusing on Continuous Improvement: Rather than aiming for grand slams, great leaders concentrate on making consistent, incremental innovations. We need to adapt fast, making small, smart changes for better results. We introduce the story of how Toyota's kaizen philosophy took American car manufacturing by storm in 1986, emphasizing continuous improvement, waste reduction, and team engagement.
- Pursuing Purpose with Focus: Great leaders dedicate their efforts to meaningful causes inside and outside of the organization, prioritizing focus on what drives value, vs trying to do everything at once. As the old Russian proverb says, "You can't chase two rabbits at the same time; they'll both get away." Focus equals growth.
- Gratitude grounds us slowly in the present, and fosters the connection, focus, and celebration of small victories essential for continuous improvement and excellence.

In a world where growth often outpaces gratitude, remember that our greatest achievements are not just the products we bring to market, the companies we acquire, or our international distribution deals, but the people who make it all possible. In this keynote, we reveal the science and actionable strategies to help make feeling valued a continuous journey of improvement for every member of team. Authentic recognition and an attitude of gratitude helps defend against the overwhelm of geopolitical tensions, work changes, and the challenges of tomorrow. Through recognition, we're not just growing our business; we're nurturing our biggest asset—our people.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Learn the Story of WD-40: Implementing employee recognition strategy, and in the last 14 years, their revenue has quadrupled. Market Cap grew by 300%, and their stock price has grown 15% annually, smashing the S&P 500.
- Unmasking the Disconnection Crisis: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the modern workplace's disconnection issue and its repercussions on employee mental health and engagement.
- What is Recognition: Employee recognition is the act of expressing gratitude and acknowledgment to your employees for their contributions that align with your company's purpose, mission, and values.
- Strategic Steps for Authentic Employee Recognition: Outlining a five-step strategy for authentic recognition—slowing down, committing to service, activating the empathetic brain, double clicking the positive, and connecting the community.

In this session, we delved deep into the importance of fostering strong, empathetic, and resilient relationships in the workplace and how they can combat the alarming statistics of employee disconnection and disengagement. Just 2 in 10 adult U.S. employees say they definitely have a “best friend” at work, according to a quarterly Gallup survey done in June 2022. Employee disconnection is one of the main drivers of voluntary turnover, with lonely employees costing U.S. companies up to $406 billion a year.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Unmasking the Disconnection Crisis: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the modern workplace's disconnection issue and its repercussions on employee mental health and engagement.
- Healthy relationships for modern work are: Empathetic, Grateful, Resilient, Diverse.
- Without empathy, workplace friendships are merely acquaintances: Turnover decreases when we prioritize connection and communal listening over mere idea generation. Lacking empathy turns people into objects, ignoring our shared humanity.
- A nod from the boss kick-starts enthusiasm, and continuous support from peers keeps it alive: According to Gallup, 79% of Americans report being actively disengaged at work. When a manager meets with direct reports once per week it shifts to 80% engagement.
- Express Gratitude, Build Bonds: Learn how to communicate gratitude in ways that resonate with teams and customers, strengthening bonds and making lasting impressions. 81% of working adults are driven to push their limits and work harder if their efforts are met with gratitude from their superiors.
- Importance of Weak Ties within the workplace: In the workplace, it's not just about bonding with your team; forming friendships with members of other teams enriches your experience.