35 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MAY/JUNE 2024 Leading with Gratitude — continued from page 25 focused on the most important objective in my literal life but also kept delivering the promise of the Iowa Lottery to the people of our great state.” Matt attributed the team’s successes to “the culture of gratitude we have created at the Iowa Lottery. A culture that looks out for each other. A culture that is productive and continues to deliver amazing results for Iowa.” Bringing in the panel, Matt mentioned Simon Sinek’s book Start with Why, which emphasizes the importance of leaders understanding the purpose that motivates them and thinking hard about what really motivates the people around them. On “finding your why,” Ryan Mindell commented, “I think the Lottery has it easy. We have a built-in ‘why’ in the service we provide to our beneficiaries, society, and good causes. We are all blessed to be in a genuinely noble occupation, and hopefully, our mission already motivates everyone in our industry. But we can’t assume everyone gets it and feels it on an ongoing basis. We all need to be reminded of our mission. We all need encouragement to feel appreciated and inspired. So, we have to connect personally and meaningfully and make that integral to our communication style and corporate culture.” Ryan continued by emphasizing the importance of everyone’s contributions. “Everyone is a leader, whether they’re leading an organization, a team, a project, or an assignment. So we all need to understand how our actions matter and how the people we impact daily respond to our communication and management styles.” Matt discussed the science behind this topic of gratitude. “Data from a 2019 study in Positive Psychology shows that grateful workers are more efficient, productive, responsible, willing to volunteer, connected to their teammates, happier, and more effective leaders.” Similarly, a 2023 American Enterprise Institute study showed that most workers considered “a welcoming workplace” the most or one of the most important factors when choosing employment. “While money gives people what they need to live,” Matt explained, “a sense of belonging and connection on the job is what helps them thrive. And what gives people that sense? Gratitude.” The data supporting this thesis resonated with Ryan who stressed that “the science on leadership by connecting on a personal, meaningful level is really persuasive. And that’s important,” he added, “because there are still people who think that business is only about metrics, operations, and execution. They need to see this data to understand that soft skills really do affect results.” Ryan also raised the issue of employees who feel disconnected from the Lottery’s mission because they can’t see how their own role contributes. In response, Matt recommended “setting up processes that democratize information and enable people to input into organizational decision-making so that they are invested in the process and understand where their piece of the puzzle fits.” Reflecting on “finding your why,” Doug Pollard cited a Chinese proverb that advises, “If you want to be happy for life, help others.” He also emphasized the importance of showing all staff the difference their work makes. “It’s important for people to feel part of something that they can take pride in. And that’s exactly what the Lottery is. But we still need to build that sense of community within our organizations, and we need to give staff opportunities to see the direct and powerful difference that our collective work is making to the people we serve.” Similarly, Jay Finks spoke of the importance of employee involvement and empowerment. “If we want to empower our staff and make sure they’re motivated to perform even during tough times, we need to ask ourselves how we can connect all employees to what we’re doing strategically.” Joshua Johnston also explored the sense of fulfillment that comes from understanding each staff member’s individual why and using it to connect them to the organizational why. “We have to really try to understand the staff and their own personal motivations and whys. That engagement creates a culture of belonging, which is a critical underpinning of any organization.” “We can’t succeed without a really diverse set of folks around the table,” Joshua added, “but if they don’t feel comfortable at work, they’ll leave. So, my why is making sure staff feels safe, comfortable, and deeply connected to the organization.” Building on that, Matt described how his own “leading with gratitude principles have twin pillars. The first is knowing and communicating your why so that it permeates your entire organization’s DNA. The second was best expressed by Theodore Roosevelt: ‘People don’t care what you know until they know you care.’” Addressing the question of how you show that you care, Matt suggested, “A major part is listening to partner organizations to understand their perspectives. We no longer see them as just a ‘vendor’ who provides a commodity to us; instead, we express gratitude and respect to foster a sense of belonging and common ownership of shared success.” Similarly, Joshua explained that the Washington Lottery “has shifted from saying ‘vendor’ to ‘business partner.’ And that’s really critical because words matter. Our success is intrinsically linked with that of our business partners, and that terminology emphasizes the strength of that connection.” Doug recalled management guru Tom Peters’ recommendation to “manage by walking around” to get to know colleagues personally and directly express gratitude. Applying that philosophy in modern virtual organizations requires a deliberate plan and execution. “We have to connect technology with these soft skills,” Josh added. “Videoconferencing is a very useful tool, but we also need to get out on the road, talk to people directly, understand what they do, look them in the eye, and say thank you.” Everyone is a leader, whether they’re leading an organization, a team, a project, or an assignment. Continued on page 40
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