Gravitude – What is it and Does My Company Need it??

In their recent book, Gravitude, Mark Bowling and Michael Ashley define and explore the idea of organizational gratitude.

We know from countless research outcomes that when individuals practice gratitude it is good for their mental health.  There are actually neurons which fire in our brains when we think about, or better yet, write about, things for which we are thankful.  Think about it:  when you encounter someone who is consistently a “the glass is half empty” type of person, compared to a “the glass is half full” orientation to the world, the people who chose to see the upside of life are generally happier than those who don’t.

In my last post of April 3, 2026 I explored the practice of leaning into gratitude as an individual.  Gratitude also applies to organizational cultures, which is explored in the book Gravitude.

The authors of Gravitude define six pillars on which organizational gratitude rests:

Pillar 1:  Phileo Love, which can be likened to brotherly or sisterly love.

Pillar 2:  Trust which is the glue of all relationships.  Trust in leadership of an organization is always present when great cultures are in play.

Pillar 3:  Teamwork which occurs when employees have each others’ backs and are not working in silos.

Pillar 4:  A Big Goal worth chasing together as an organization.

Pillar 5:  Legacy, meaning laying the foundation for your work to endure.

Yours truly was interviewed for the Gravitude book by Bowling and Ashley, to address the question of how gratitude can be measured in organizations.  Continually surveying employees to get the pulse of how they feel about their work and their leadership, as well as interviewing them to learn “what is it like to work here??” are foundational ways to hear from employees regarding how they experience the culture at your company.  While these ideas may sound elementary at first blush, it is not common for leaders in organizations to genuinely seek insight from their employees around what the employee experience is like.  Asking this and truly wanting to hear the answer, and then taking steps to address cultural shortcomings can be very effective in addressing the low employee engagement so many organizations are experiencing at present.

Want to know more about Gravitude?  Pick up a copy of Bowling and Ashley’s book.  It’s worth a read!

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