Have you ever used photo-editing software? Sometimes just a slight adjustment in contrast or exposure can make dramatic improvements, simply by bringing out more of what’s there already.

In business organizations, small shifts in attitude can also bring about big changes too. Consider this amazing data from the Gallup organization: Employee engagement increases from 9% to 73% when company leaders focus on supporting employees’ strengths.

Even if your business doesn’t invest a lot of money or time in staff training, and even if your people are all long-term employees, there are myriad opportunities for you as a leader or owner to boost morale, staff engagement, and productivity. Here’s how.

Companies are more successful and employee morale and engagement flourishes in organizations that support their own people with the same enthusiasm and care they extend to customers and clients.

You get there by creating a culture of appreciation and that starts with the attitude at the top. When company leaders convey gratitude by giving employees ongoing positive feedback, enthusiasm and energy soar, people thrive and the organizations flourish.

What ever the group size – from families and friendships to corporations and countries, appreciating others is a powerful ingredient in fostering group cohesion and energizing individual engagement in shared goals.

At the very heart of a culture of appreciation is the element of trust. As the Gallup data shows, when employees trust their company leaders, engagement increases dramatically. And how are leaders able to instill that trust in their people?

It’s not about being infallible, powerful, or controlling. Leaders earn trust simply by showing they’re reliable, sincere and competent.

When there’s no conflict between what the leaders say and what they do, employees’ confidence is strong.

Whatever happens – even when mistakes are made, confidence stays strong because people trust that the leaders can get them back on course.

We trust people when we share similar goals.  We trust people when we see their intentions and their actions are in sync. And we feel we can rely on them because we trust their sincerity and judgments.

In a company culture that’s based on appreciation and trust, curiosity is widely encouraged. Leaders emphasize the practical and doable and don’t get bogged down with abstract concepts. The questions they ask – frequently and abundantly are focused on who, what, how, and where – instead of why.

They address problems by gathering data and getting input from others at the organization, which also helps to strengthen cohesion.

So forget about power, control, and demands on doing everything perfectly. And work on fostering a culture based on widespread appreciation and genuine curiosity and watch employee engagement and productivity flourish.