Reason and Gratitude: Seeing and Appreciating the World as It Is
We’re wrapping up our exploration of the seven capacities for leadership. Today, we’re diving into the last two capacities: reason and gratitude. These might not be the first things you think of when it comes to leadership, but they’re crucial pieces of the puzzle.
Reason: Staying in Touch with Reality
Let’s start with reason, our sixth capacity. Thales, an ancient Greek philosopher, defined reason as how accurately the world as it really is is represented in your mind. In other words, it’s about being in tune with what’s actually going on around you.
Think about it this way: we call someone reasonable when their behavior fits with what’s happening in the world. On the flip side, we say someone’s unreasonable when their actions are out of touch with reality. We might even call it absurd.
Now, you might be wondering, “What does this have to do with leadership?” Well, it’s actually super important. As leaders, we’re constantly navigating reality. Every organization is about navigating reality. How could you possibly do that if you’re not in touch with it?
Developing your capacity for reason means taking a step back and really thinking about things instead of just going along thoughtlessly. It’s about looking at the circumstances and environment around you and asking questions. Leaders who are reasonable take into account the meaningful aspects of reality we have to navigate to make progress.
Of course, no human can have a full picture of reality. We’re limited by the information available to us. But reason is about being as in touch with reality as possible in our day-to-day lives, making decisions, anticipating patterns, and building progress based on that.
Like all the other capacities, we all have access to reason. As leaders, when we develop our capacity for reason, we can make more informed decisions and guide our organizations more effectively through the complexities of the real world.
Gratitude: The Glue That Holds It All Together
Now, let’s talk about gratitude, our seventh and final capacity. This one’s really at the core — it holds all the others together.
When you hear “gratitude,” you probably think about being thankful or appreciative. That’s definitely part of it. But gratitude goes beyond just saying “thank you” — it’s a sense of connection to the world around you.
The capacity of gratitude gives you the sense that “if not for the efforts of others or the things that came before me, there would be nothing for me to participate in.” It’s about recognizing that we’re part of a continuation.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we’ve accomplished everything all by ourselves. We don’t often stop to think about all the efforts from others that we benefit from. Gratitude is a way of overcoming this subjectivity — our tendency to get wrapped up in our own story and ego.
Here’s the thing: gratitude doesn’t have to be for something somebody did for you personally. Think about driving on a road. You can be grateful for the road you’re on. You didn’t build it, and it wasn’t built just for you, but you benefit from it every day. This kind of gratitude snaps us out of our ego-centric view.
Once you understand the principle of gratitude, there are many ways to put it into practice. It can start with simply stopping and thinking about all the things that went into what you’re able to do at any given moment. Whether you’re shopping at the grocery store, reading a book from the library, or having a video call with colleagues across the world, you can consciously think about the many people and actions that made that possible — and know there’s even more involved that you don’t even realize.
Like all of the capacities for leadership, gratitude can be cultivated in organizations as well as individuals. Some teams cultivate gratitude by encouraging everyone to share appreciation for someone else on the team as part of every meeting.
As we wrap up our exploration of the seven capacities for leadership, it’s fitting to practice gratitude. We’re thankful for the technology that allows us to share these ideas, for you — our readers — who’ve engaged with this series, and for all the thinkers and leaders whose insights have shaped these concepts. We hope you’ve gained valuable insights and will begin practicing and expanding all seven capacities in your own life.
