Dr. Henry Cloud is an acclaimed leadership expert, clinical psychologist, and New York Times bestselling author. His 45 books, including the iconic Boundaries, have sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide. He has an extensive executive coaching background and experience as a leadership consultant, devoting the majority of his time to working with CEOs, leadership teams, and executives to improve performance, leadership skills, and culture.   This week on The Wow Factor, we’re excited to welcome back Dr. Cloud to share his thoughts on questions that help people move past the superficial and really forge a connection. He discusses how focusing on gratitude can help manage anxiety and shares an example of a client who practiced gratitude in challenging professional circumstances and how it helped his mental health. Dr. Cloud also shares his insights on why leaders should be doing everything they can to learn and grow.    “Gratitude is a very, very profound psychological construct.” - Dr. Henry Cloud   “It's an act of generosity to look at the bigger picture.” - Dr. Henry Cloud   “Empathy is the ability to get into another person's reality.” -  Dr. Henry Cloud   This Week on The Wow Factor:  What the word gratitude means to Henry  Why gratitude is a profound psychological construct that's linked to humility and relational health  Why receiving is difficult for many people due to shame and a tendency to shield oneself, and the reason it's important to be able to receive gracefully  The importance of being a cheerful giver rather than giving out of a sense of duty  Why giving feels so good and creates that warm dopamine release inside you  The relationship between gratitude and anxiety and how practicing gratitude can help reduce anxiety by affecting brain chemistry  How generosity helps in creating a positive and abundant universe.  Why empathy is a requirement for brain development and how it can help you feel safe and trust someone  Why you should prioritize solving problems early on to prevent them from becoming patterns that damage relationships  Why, even when we don't have a lot, we've got to give, or we're never going to start giving  Dr. Henry Cloud’s Words of Wisdom:  There's an old saying that gets thrown around many leadership circles: "When a leader gets better, everybody wins.” So, I would encourage you to get out of your circle and get into other industries and see how other people do things, not just on the business side but also in terms of your soft skills. Do everything you can do to grow.  Connect with Dr. Henry Cloud:   Dr. Henry Cloud's Website   Connect with The WOW Factor:  The WOW Factor Website  Connect with Brad Formsma via email  Brad Formsma on LinkedIn  Brad Formsma on Instagram  Brad Formsma on Facebook  Brad Formsma on Twitter