In a world where we are encouraged to focus more on ourselves than others, it may seem revolutionary to be human and act with kindness as a leader. Think about social media, real-time updates and daily posts are the way of the world. I am not against any personal branding and self-promotion I just strive to infuse it with humanness and kindness.
I have always been inspired by the quote: “In a world where you can be anything be kind”. From my perspective kindness is easier than being rude, negative, critical, or straight-up mean to others.
I have never been able to wrap my head around people who get joy from being mean, in person or on the computer. The way I see it, mean people are openly putting their insecurities, lack of confidence, and low self-esteem right out on a silver platter for the whole world to see. They are not hiding; they are projecting how they feel about themselves onto others. If they liked themselves, had a strong sense of security, and were confident, what would be their motivation to be mean?
There is plenty of research that shows when you put kindness at the core of leadership you will experience better results. And people will have a much better experience in your presence when you show them kindness. Compassion drives leadership and it is in the best interest of your company culture to improve positivity and ensure your team is happy.
If you’re a leader be human and be kind. Be Human-Kind.
Here are a few ways to get started.
I believe leaders have a responsibility to nurture relationships. It’s important to show genuine care for your people and their success. When you spend time making strong connections with your team you will also build trust and improve communication. Important for a thriving culture.
The second responsibility and necessary life skill every leader must have is empathy. In its simplest form, it’s about having awareness of the feelings and emotions of another. It allows you to see life from another person’s perspective. Empathy will help you to inspire a spirit of kindness when faced with a difficult situation.
Gratitude. Gratitude is something I work on every day. I get busy and distracted and can easily forget to appreciate the little things in life. When we express gratitude, it improves our mental state of mind and fills us with positive emotions. Kindness is contagious. When you choose kindness, you will inspire others to do the same.
Since it is the time of year for new beginnings I want to encourage you to engage in random acts of kindness. It can be really simple; send a handwritten card, bring someone a coffee, or pay your co-worker a compliment. It will change the energy of both you and your team.
