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!

From Firefighting to Predictable Performance

By Cathie Leimbach • March 10, 2026
Most leaders don’t struggle because they don’t care. They struggle because every day feels reactive. One issue gets fixed, and another one pops up right away. What separates high-performing teams from constant firefighting is simple: predictable leadership . When leaders are consistent, teams become consistent. People know what “good” looks like. They know how decisions are made. They know when feedback will happen. That removes stress and guesswork. Teams quickly learn what leaders reinforce and what they let slide. When expectations, follow-up, and accountability happen the same way every time, focus goes up and chaos goes down. This is how leaders move from reacting to leading. Regular check-ins replace urgent interruptions. Clear ownership replaces confusion. Small problems get handled early instead of turning into big ones. Much of this predictability is built through simple leadership conversations that clarify expectations, reinforce priorities, and address small issues before they grow. The result? Fewer surprises. More trust. Better momentum. 👉 If leadership sometimes feels more reactive than predictable, join our Leadership Conversation on March 17 at 3:00 PM to explore a few small shifts that can stabilize performance.

Accountability Without Drama

By Cathie Leimbach • March 3, 2026
Accountability doesn’t have to feel tense or awkward. When done well, it’s calm, clear, and supportive. Most leaders avoid it because they don’t want conflict. But avoiding it creates something worse — inconsistency, frustration, and missed results. Strong accountability is simple: What was expected? What actually happened? What needs to happen next? When leaders address issues early and clearly, drama fades. People know where they stand. Follow through improves. Common mistakes: Waiting too long Being inconsistent Attacking the person’s character These patterns can change. With the right habits, accountability becomes predictable instead of stressful — and work gets better fast. 👉Download our Accountability Without Drama Checklist to practice these conversations with confidence.