The Gratitude Gap: How Great Leaders Make People Feel Seen | Adrian Gostick - EP 785

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Coming up next on Passion Struck.

**Adrian Gostick** (0:02)
We're all living right now in these uncertain world and you can't take that away from people. You can't make the world the simple, easy to understand place anymore. We're living in VUKA right, Volatility and uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity. That's our borderal line place right now. That's the baseline.
And so with that though, you don't have to amp things up, you don't have to create more pressure. I was in one Big Fortune, five hundred big brand, and one of the employees told me, he says, working here, he says, they have this description that a gun is placed in your back when you start, and the trigger is pulled. If you stop sprinting, the bullet will get you.

**John R. Miles** (0:41)
Welcome to Passion Struck. I'm your host, John Miles. This is the show where we explore the art of human flourishing and what it truly means to live like it matters.
Each week I sit down with change makers, creators, scientists, and everyday heroes to decode the human experience and uncover the tools that help us lead, meaning heal with hurts, and pursue the fullest expression of who were capable of becoming whether you're designing your future, developing as a leader, or seeking deeper alignment in your life, this show is your invitation to grow with purpose and act with intention, because the secret to a life of deep purpose, connection, and impact is choosing to live like you matter.
Hello, friends, and welcome back to episode seven hundred and eighty five of Passion Struck. I want you to think about the best leader you've ever worked for.
What made them unforgettable. It probably wasn't their title, It wasn't the strategy they created. It wasn't even the results they achieved. It was the way they made people feel. Maybe they noticed your effort when no one else did. Maybe they challenged you to grow. Maybe they made you feel like your contribution genuinely mattered.
In our last episode on Tuesday, Spencer West challenge us to stop living according to identities shaped by other people's expectations and instead embrace who we truly are. Today, we're taking the next step because once we begin showing up as our authentic selves, we all want the same thing to be part of places where that authenticity is recognized, appreciated, and allowed to flourish. My guest today is Adrian Gostik, Adrian is one of the world's foremost authorities on leadership, workplace culture.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:32)
And employee engagement.

**John R. Miles** (2:33)
He's the best selling co author of the caret Principle all in leading with gratitude and anxiety at work. For decades, he's studied what separates organizations where people simply work from organizations where people truly thrive. What I love about Adrian's work is that it consistently comes back to something profoundly human.
Recognition, gratitude, purpose, empathy not as soft skills, but is the very foundation of extraordinary leadership. In today's conversation, Adrian and I explore why so many leaders unintentionally create cultures of fear, why appreciation is one of the most underutilized tools in leadership, how empathy has become an essential competency in today's workplace, and why the simple act of helping people feel seen can transform not only performance.

**SPEAKER_1** (3:22)
But lives.

**John R. Miles** (3:23)
If this month's Connection Crisis series has taught us anything it's that people don't flourish because they're managed well. They flourish because they know they matter. Before we dive in. If today's episode resonates with you, please share it with a leader, colleague, or someone who's made a difference in your own life, and if you haven't already, leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps us continue bringing these conversations to millions of people around the world. You can also download Today's Companion workbook and reflection guide completely free at the Ignited life dot net, and don't forget to check out our channels on YouTube. Now let's dive in with a dream. Gostic, thank you for choosing Passion Struck and choosing me to be your host and guide on your journey to creating and intentional life that matters. Now let that journey begin.
I am absolutely thrilled and honored today to welcome Adrian Gostick to Passion Struck. Adrian, what an honor to finally get to meet you.

**Adrian Gostick** (4:22)
Oh John, thank you so much. I appreciate the interest in my work. Thank you so much.

**John R. Miles** (4:27)
Well, I want to start here. You have spent decades studying recognition and engagement, and I have to say, during the time when I was in Fortune five hundred companies, your books were something I really looked to help me understand what was going on and how to treat employees less like cogs and more like humans. And you have surveyed, as I understand it, not just hundreds of thousands of.