A Year of Giving Thanks

By RON STARNER

Ben Franklin once said, "Most people return small favors, acknowledge medium ones and repay greater ones - with ingratitude."

During this holiday season of giving thanks and remembering the year gone by, it is worth reflecting on the meaning - and purpose - of gratitude.

When the Pilgrims celebrated the very first Thanksgiving in 1621, following a year in which over half of the colonial settlers had perished, they set the example for us to follow today.

Regardless of our circumstances at this very moment, we all have a great deal to be thankful for.
If you have a job, say a word of thanks.
If you have a home, be thankful.
If you have family and friends who love you, say thanks.
If you have your health, then be doubly thankful.
But most of all, don't keep this spirit of gratitude to yourself. Share it with others.

Take the time to tell a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a customer or a neighbor that you appreciate them - and tell them why.

Gratitude, more than any other quality, is the lost art of our culture. Lost in a sea of so-called reality shows and talk shows that spew more hatred than goodwill is the fine art of expressing genuine, heartfelt gratitude.

Recent research studies confirm this. The 2011 Cornerstone OnDemand Employee Attitude Survey of 1,000 employed American workers reveals that 56 percent say that being appreciated more at work would motivate them to stay in their current position.

Also, 49 percent say that their current employer is not invested in their career growth. And Randstad's Employee Attachment Index shows a 23-point gap between what employers think will drive engagement and what employees say will motivate them.

The pervasive lack of gratitude descends from a culture that is obsessed with self-promotion. It can also be the byproduct of a quarterly performance mentality that fails to adequately assess the long-term benefit of valuing and promoting teamwork.

At IAMC, we recognize that nothing of lasting value occurs without the cooperation of many individuals. To go from zero to 540 members in less than 10 years is a testament to the value of teamwork.

To reach a Professional Forum attendance surpassing 350 in Albuquerque in the spring and again in Philadelphia in the fall is further confirmation of this spirit.

And so we pause to say thank you to everyone who has committed time, talent and other resources toward making this success possible.

We say thank you to the members who make IAMC the unique and valuable association that it is; to the sponsors who make our wonderful events possible; to the highly rated speakers who deliver IAMC's best-in-class education; to experienced staff professionals who outperform their industry counterparts by huge margins; to the volunteer leaders who tirelessly and sacrificially give of themselves so that others can benefit; and to the visionaries who dreamed up the vision for IAMC a decade ago.

Without each of them, IAMC would not exist. Nor would it succeed.

As IAMC looks forward to its 10th year, it is worth noting the sacrifices of so many who have come before us. And that includes the unparalleled vision of IAMC's founder, the late Mac Conway.

It may be too late to tell Mac a personal word of thanks, but it is not too late to demonstrate our gratitude by vowing to live up to his ideal of building a community of professionals working hand in hand to make our world better.

At its core, that is what IAMC does, and it does it because the people of IAMC value and appreciate each other.

Thank you for sharing in that vision and working to bring it to life.