What am I grateful for today?
By Matthew Walls, Head, US Procurement Functional Leadership
Each year at Bayer we reserve a special day to extend appreciation to our employees, but in the spirit of fostering a culture of feedback, shouldn’t every day incorporate an “attitude of gratitude” for our employees? Yes!
I’ve learned that it’s really simple and expressing gratitude can be regularly practiced. It’s as easy as sending a written thank you, calling out a team member during a group meeting for a job well done, scheduling “virtual drop in” calls for team members that may not benefit from sitting physically with the majority of the team, or just saying, “thank you” a little more often.
According to a recent article in Forbes, the above examples of appreciation can be referred to as Gratitude Practice. I find that by shifting my mindset to regularly focus on the positive things in my life, I may then generate a “battery” of mindful energy in which to extend positivity to my staff and to others. The author reinforces this sentiment and states, “When leaders engage in this practice on a regular basis, they are able to generate gratitude from within, which allows them to show gratitude to others. This practice also reinforces a feeling of gratitude as second nature because it reinforces myelination.” In other words, the more I practice gratitude, the more natural and automatic my ability to extend appreciation to others becomes. (Apologies to my Bayer scientific colleagues for my elementary definition).
So, what am I grateful for today? I’m grateful to be surrounded by an excellent team. US Procurement Functional Leadership is responsible for ensuring that systems, processes, policies and best practices align to our long-term Global Procurement strategy. For example, in 2018 we implemented a new e-sourcing tool, and a new contract lifecycle management system for procurement contracts. Despite a degree of competing priorities, the team worked flexibly and efficiently to improve the Procurement function.
It’s my belief that thanks in part to a continuous and intentional focus on team member appreciation, our engagement and productivity are at all-time highs. For this, I am grateful to and for each member of my team who challenges me to be my best and who strives daily to operate in alignment with Bayer’s values.
