Welcome to the Tero November eZine

What is the broken tile syndrome? When you look at a ceiling with one broken tile your eye is naturally drawn to it, not to the hundreds of whole ones. Howard Jacobson in a Fast Company three-minute read called "Gratitude as a Business Strategy" makes the point that the broken tile syndrome explains why most of us fail to recognize opportunities to express gratitude. When things go as we expect, we do not even acknowledge it or notice it. He states we take excellence, thoughtfulness, kindness and joyfulness for granted.

Jacobson suggests taking a poll on the gratitude to criticism ratio you experience. He estimates we get and give more flak than thankfulness and that is probably true. Yet he reminds that most of us are perpetually hungry for genuine appreciation.

This is the month of giving thanks. Whether as Jacobson says it's in thanking the universe for the beauty of the trees changing colors, to being grateful for an unsolicited referral, kind deed, or just someone who went the extra mile, expressing our thanks outwardly will keep us from suffering from the broken tile syndrome.

We focus the eZine on the communication of thanks. The Q and A will answer how to thank someone for a host gift and give ideas on how to show appreciation to others without breaking the budget. The development activity describes how to give a business toast; a gesture that brings everyone together in thanks. The article is from our archives and is a favorite. Written by President of Tero, Rowena Crosbie, it builds beautifully on the Fast Company article's idea of finding ways to give thanks every day, for things we may otherwise take for granted, and the health benefits in doing so. We also include one of our favorite Your Invisible Toolbox episodes from 2016, which highlights both surprising others with kindness and Sukup Manufacturing, a company that didn't take for granted what they could give to others.

In his article, Jacobson encourages us between now and the end of the year to find a need and fill it. He suggests taking five minutes, make a list of people you are grateful for, and create an action plan to sincerely communicate your personal thanks. We hope our eZine inspires and provides many ideas on how to do just that.