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

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/passion-struck-with-john-r-miles-7804824/the-gratitude-gap-how-great-leaders-make-people-feel-seen-adrian-gostick-ep-785
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/passion-struck-with-john-r-miles-7804824/the-gratitude-gap-how-great-leaders-make-people-feel-seen-adrian-gostick-ep-785.md
Podcast: [Passion Struck with John R. Miles](https://stenobird.com/podcast/passion-struck-with-john-r-miles-7804824)
Published: 2026-06-25T04:05:02+00:00
Episode link: https://passionstruck.com/leading-with-gratitude-adrian-gostick/
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72672641/ep_785_adrian_gostick_mp3_podcast_version.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3413

## Resource

In this episode of Passion Struck, John R. Miles sits down with bestselling author, workplace culture expert, and leadership researcher Adrian Gostick to explore one of the most overlooked forces shaping organizations today: the gratitude gap—the disconnect between how appreciated leaders believe their people feel and how valued employees actually experience their work. Drawing from decades of research involving hundreds of thousands of employees and leaders, Adrian reveals why recognition is far more than a leadership skill—it is a fundamental human need. Together, John and Adrian examine why people don't simply want praise; they want evidence that they matter. Their conversation explores how unexpressed appreciation quietly fuels anxiety, disengagement, loneliness, and burnout, while cultures rooted in visible gratitude unlock trust, innovation, resilience, and extraordinary performance. John and Adrian also discuss why workplace anxiety has reached unprecedented levels, how leaders unintentionally create fear through uncertainty, and why the best managers act less like supervisors and more like stewards of human potential. Through compelling stories, practical frameworks, and decades of behavioral research, they show how recognition, empathy, and purpose can transform both organizations and the lives of the people within them. In this episode, you'll learn: Why leaders consistently overestimate how appreciated their employees feel How the "gratitude gap" silently undermines engagement, trust, and performance Why recognition is a biological and psychological need—not simply a management technique How uncertainty fuels workplace anxiety and what great leaders do differently Why people perform at their best when they know their work contributes to something larger than…

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