While I’m all for being grateful, especially being mindful of this during this week’s American Thanksgiving celebration, I’m not too keen on satisfaction. Satisfaction can become a trap that keeps you cemented to your doorstep, allowing competitors to grab the glory, the gusto, and even some of your market share.

One of my favorite examples of this is when I asked a workshop participant, who was resistant to ideas for improving her company, if she was satisfied with her current business model, to which she exuberantly replied, “Yes!” When asked if she was also satisfied with her firm’s results, she responded quite sarcastically, “Well of course not, that’s why I’m here.” People are often pleased with their current practices, to the point of being attached to their methods, even when they are not producing the desired results.

There’s nothing wrong with being grateful for what we have today, and wanting to achieve even more for our customers tomorrow. This doesn’t mean we ever engage in the “I’ll be happy when” mentality that steals the pleasure of the moment. Instead, if we’re always focused on how we can do even more to improve the circumstances of our clients and candidates, we’ll consistently be showered with the rewards that come from doing the truly great and noble work of the staffing and recruitment business.

Enjoy some gratitude this week and the possibilities for an even better tomorrow. Our industry can improve the condition of even more businesses throughout the world as long as we never become overly satisfied with the status quo. By continually evolving how we do, what we do, we’ll continually get better and make things better for our clients.