Recently, I was listening to an interview with Federico Marchetti (founder of Yoox) and was struck by his words and sense of gratitude towards Elserino Piol who was among the earliest investors in his start-up.
It made me think of another historic business episode involving the famous game maker Nintendo.
In 1981, the Japanese company launched its US subsidiary in Tukwila, Washington, renting a warehouse from an entrepreneur of Italian origins: Mario Segale.
At the time, Nintendo was working on Donkey Kong, in which the main character, Jumpman, had to rescue a girl from an evil gorilla.
Business was not going well, however, and the company could not pay the warehouse rent. Segale eventually came in person to demand payment and threaten eviction.
Nintendo president Arakawa had a long conversation with the Italian entrepreneur, who placed his trust in them, withdrew the eviction threat and extended the payment deadline.
Out of gratitude, Nintendo renamed its main character from Jumpman to Super Mario in honour of Mario Segale. Business subsequently improved considerably, and the game became one of the most famous and widely played in the world.
We do not know how much Segale appreciated the gesture, but it remains a starting point for discussing gratitude's value.
Looking up the etymology and traditional meaning in major dictionaries, we find:
From the Latin "gratus", grateful, thankful. The positive feeling of appreciation for a benefit or favour received.
Since the beginning of the new century, modern psychology has studied gratitude in a broader sense than appreciation towards someone, as:
An attitude, mindset, feeling and outlook towards the world and life.
In practice, this means being grateful not just to people, but for situations, our history and what we are becoming.
The psychology of personal development (Martin Seligman's psychology of happiness is well known) aims to work proactively rather than reactively when someone has a problem, developing human potential so we can face life's difficulties while living it to the full.
The effects of Gratitude and moods
Numerous studies, including research by Professor Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania's psychology centre, have analysed gratitude's effects and found that pausing daily to give thanks increases happiness and reduces depressive states.
At a neurological level, increases in endorphin release and activation of prefrontal cortex areas associated with ethics, morality and social reward have been observed.
Getting out of bed in the morning and being grateful for our health, family and work helps us see things from a different perspective and activates positive moods that form the basis for developing our potential.
Personally, I am also very grateful for the beauty of the natural surroundings where I live
Practising gratitude helps combat major enemies such as complaining, envy and believing external forces are always greater than ourselves. It helps us see things from a different perspective.
Thinking about what we are grateful for helps us notice small things others miss, and counteracts the negativity bias the cognitive distortion through which we notice and pay more attention to negative things.
Be careful: being grateful for life does not mean settling or being unrealistic and saying everything is wonderful. It activates the moods that give us energy and strength to pursue our ambitions and tackle problems more energetically.
For example, if I have just lost my job, that is clearly not something to be grateful for. But focusing on what I have — good health, friends, a home — gives me the right emotional state and energy to act rather than complain and become discouraged.
Personally, I strongly believe in the importance of our current emotional state: how we feel here and now, and how we communicate that energy to others, because it can activate virtuous (or vicious) circles through the effect of mirror neurons.
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you’, that will be enough.” MEISTER ECKHART
Gratitude is also an attitude shared by all the world's religions and has fascinated many philosophers over time.
Exercises for practising gratitude
An attitude of gratitude is usually not innate, but can be extensively trained.
I have met people highly aware of the value of life's important things; personally, I have to keep working on it to avoid being overwhelmed 🤪
A few minutes a week or a day are enough. Several studies even suggest practising only once a week to avoid losing our surprise at positive events and developing a kind of habituation.
The exercise is extremely simple: think of what you are grateful for and, if you like, keep a journal (gratitude journals are booming across the Atlantic; search Amazon to see the number of results).
Try to be specific: if I am grateful for my health, I might think about having run for an hour this morning without pain or problems.
Think of someone to thank for what they have done for you or for others.
Personally, I also like to give thanks for something new I have learned (again, specifically) and for the beauty of nature.
Being specific also helps avoid repetition. After remembering how lucky you are to have a job you enjoy, you can think about yesterday's presentation, a current project, and so on.
The simple magic lies in not taking things for granted.
Again, this does not mean that positive thinking alone will fix whatever is wrong. But the right mood helps us face it with maximum energy and concentration, without being held back.
Gratitude helps people appreciate what they have rather than always seeking something new in the hope it will make them happier, or thinking they cannot feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. It helps them refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. Although this state of mind may initially feel artificial, it becomes stronger with use and practice.
The ideal is to incorporate gratitude practice into a good meditation routine.
Marketing, business and gratitude
The great Seth Godin is famous for coining "generosity marketing" (meaning a less push-oriented, more pull-oriented market approach). Within this linguistic paradigm shift, we could also include the concept of Gratitude Marketing: gratitude towards our customers!
Marketing research some years ago studied the effect of positively reinforcing customers through a simple but sincere expression of thanks for their business.
The 440 customers of a Texas jewellery shop were divided into 3 groups.
The first group was contacted and thanked for their purchase. The second group was thanked and also told about a special offer. The third, control group was not called.
The results showed a 27% increase in purchases compared with the same month of the previous year among customers who were called, with the largest increase in the first group, who were offered nothing.
The psychology department at the University of Philadelphia conducted an experiment on restaurant tips and discovered that simply writing "thank you" by hand on the back of the receipt increased tips (Rind, B., & Bordia — Effect of server's "thank you" and personalization on restaurant tipping. Journal of Applied Social Psychology)
In business and management, one key is to stop occasionally and thank your team. Taking time to celebrate does not mean settling: it lays the foundations for going further.