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Great Attitude: It’s About Gratitude

Thanksgiving. The holidays. The New Year. Times of reflection, celebration, family and friendship. Overeating, overindulging, seeing the family we love–the one that perhaps drives us crazy.

These are the things that make us who we are. Who are we if not shaped by our family, identified by our friends, measured in many ways by our accomplishments, and as healthy as our lifestyles?

We live in a great part of the world. As I write this column, the weather could not be better. It is glorious. The rest of the country has storms, fires, power outages, and more. We love our barbecues, pools and outdoor sports. Our economy is booming. Tourism, health care, technology—and so much more. All the economic measures are up.

This is a time of thanks – and for planning 2020. It’s been a time for us to really say big thank-yous.

Here’s the question: It’s 2020. We are planning our year, projecting out our growth, anticipating success. Probably making resolutions (that’s another column). We will be asking ourselves to learn, grow and stretch, and asking others to do the same.

The attitude of gratitude, while a cliché, is powerful. Giving and thanks are the most powerful ways to create true prosperity and peace. As writer Henry David Thoreau said, “I am grateful for what I am and I have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.”

As we do all the work of planning and preparing, let’s remember that the celebrations of thanks might be over, but appreciation is never out of season.

What can we give? At work, we can give a few moments to be sure we connect with the people with whom we work, every day. “How are you?” “How’s your Mom?” “How was your weekend?” We can say “thank you” every day. “Thanks for thinking of that detail. I’d have missed it.” “Thanks for that powerful debate we just had. It made us better.”

We often bemoan the oxymoron that customer service can be here in South Florida. Yet, when the customer service rep comes on the line, or is in front of us, there are two magical phrases you can use: his/her name; and “How are you?” Customer service reps are trained to ask how we are. Watch what happens when you use his/her name, and say, “It has been an OK day so far, Joseph. How’s your day going?” The rapport, attitude and service invariably will change.

And as we ask our teams to stretch, remind them of not only their economic and career success, but of how appreciated and valuable they are to you. Then watch the results. ♦

Stephen Garber is director of Third Level Ltd. Contact him at 561.752.5505 or sgarber@thirdlevel.com.

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Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.