Count Your Blessings

Cathie Leimbach • November 23, 2021

What thoughts are dominating your mind this Thanksgiving week? You might be looking forward to Thursday’s delicious food, or to time with some of your favorite people.  Maybe you are grateful that the company you work for is financially stable so you have had consistent income or you may appreciate your new job. Perhaps you are thankful for your good health or that you are regaining your strength after a serious surgery. Being thankful for the good things helps us push through the inevitable challenges that come our way.  

 

What about your work life? How thankful are you for having a job you love or for competent, supportive colleagues?  If you are a manager or supervisor, how appreciative are you of your employees?  How do you let your reliable, productive employees know how valuable they are?  When you have the habit of expressing gratitude at work, both morale and retention will be relatively strong. Less chance of employee burnout increases productivity and profit.

 

Also, being thankful increases our mental, physical, and emotional health. When we are positive, our body produces more dopamine and serotonin, two of the happiness hormones. This positivity gives us a can-do attitude and increases our resilience when facing challenges. Gratitude supports our physical health by improving our sleep, strengthening our immune system, and reducing pain. When we express thanks, show appreciation to others, and share the positive things in our lives, people enjoy spending time with us and we are emotionally stronger.     

 

I have a fond memory of the dishwashing time sing-alongs my mother and I had when I was growing up. They often included the hymn:

“Count your many blessings, name them one by one

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

 

Counting your blessings requires no money. It just requires a desire to notice the bright side of things and consciously acknowledge the many good parts of your life. Try keeping a gratitude journal in which you daily write down one to five things you are grateful for. If you do this from today to the end of the year, you will be able to reflect back on the many blessings that came your way in a short five weeks.

 

This Thanksgiving, enjoy the people you spend the day with, the activities of the day, and your turkey dinner. Tryptophan, the hormone in turkey that might increase your need for a Thanksgiving afternoon nap, is also a happiness hormone. It’s a blessing that turkey, the go-to food for Thanksgiving and Christmas, helps us be in a good mood to better handle the busyness and the crowds of the season and enjoy the precious celebrations.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

What Problems Disappear When Leadership Gets Stronger?

By Cathie Leimbach • April 14, 2026
Most workplace issues don’t start big. They build slowly—through missed conversations, unclear expectations, and more people leave. That’s where disengagement shows up. And when it does, the cost is real: 78% higher absenteeism 51% higher turnover 63% more safety incidents These differences come from comparing the 25% of organizations with the strongest employee engagement to those in the bottom 25% (Gallup). And across the U.S., the bigger picture is hard to ignore— disengaged employees cost organizations nearly $2 trillion annually in lost productivity (Gallup). These aren’t just HR problems. They’re leadership problems. When people don’t feel connected, clear, or supported: They call off more More people quit Mistakes and risks increase The good news? These patterns are preventable. Strong leaders reduce these issues by: Addressing problems early Creating clarity instead of assumptions Having consistent, direct conversations Reinforcing expectations before things drift It’s not about doing more. It’s about leading differently—every day. A question to consider: Which of these challenges is quietly costing your organization the most right now? 👉 Join our upcoming Leadership Conversation on April 27th, 3:00 PM—this is not a webinar . This is a candid conversation with leaders comparing their employee engagement challenges and successes. Most organizations are tolerating more of this than they realize. The question is—are you?

What Changes When People Actually Feel Engaged?

By Cathie Leimbach • April 7, 2026
Most leaders don’t struggle because they don’t care. They struggle because engagement feels hard to influence. But when people are engaged, the impact is hard to ignore: 18% higher sales 23% higher profitability 70% higher wellbeing These differences come from comparing the 25% of organizations with the strongest employee engagement to those in the bottom 25% (Gallup). And the stakes are bigger than most realize— disengaged employees cost U.S. organizations nearly $2 trillion in lost productivity each year (Gallup). This isn’t about perks or programs. It’s about how people are led every day. Engaged teams are clearer on expectations. They feel supported. They know their work matters. And most importantly—those conditions don’t happen by accident. They’re created in conversations: Clarifying priorities Reinforcing what good looks like Checking for understanding Following through consistently Small leadership habits drive big business outcomes. A question to consider: Where could stronger day-to-day leadership conversations improve results in your team? 👉 Join our next 60-minute Leadership Conversation: Inspiring High Performance — Monday, April 27 th at 3:00 PM ET (this is not a webinar) It’s a small-group discussion with other leaders looking at a simple question: What’s actually driving engagement—and what’s quietly holding it back?  If a shift in leadership could impact sales, profitability, and wellbeing… it’s worth exploring what that might look like in your world.