Kindness matters.
And as Paddington said “It doesn’t cost me anything to be kind”.
Recently, it was reported that a man ruined his chances in an interview in the first 5 minutes by failing a test at reception.
He was immediately rejected for the position before he even made it inside the interview room, because of the way he spoke to other staff members that he believed would be below him in the office.
This organisation prioritised kindness and demonstrated a commitment to upholding kindness as a core value without compromise.
There is always room for kindness, and as E. Bennett once said we should all “be a little kinder than you have to.”
A workplace cannot thrive without a culture of kindness
Studies have shown companies that prioritise a culture of kindness and compassion experience higher employee engagement, increased productivity, and lower turnover rates.
The most powerful tool for enhancing collaboration and creativity is not found in software, but in the daily practice of kindness among team members.
A workplace cannot truly thrive without a culture of mutual support, kindness, and compassion during challenging times.
As expressed by Plato, “Kindness is more than a deed. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It’s anything that lifts another person”.
What can you do?
Kindness should always stem from genuine intentions and a desire to do good. The reality is that kindness can be a powerful driver of organisational success. Organisations must strategically integrate it into their practices to create a more positive workplace culture.
Both employees and customers have numerous options nowadays, but people stay with organisations that treat them with genuine care, empathy and kindness. Organisations need to make people feel valued, respected, and supported.
Many organisations recognise the importance of kindness and may even have it as a stated company value, but how many are actually incorporating a “kindness strategy” into business practices and creating a positive ripple effect?
But watch out for this!
Organisations can inadvertently design unkindness into their operations by prioritising individualism over community, profit over people, one-way communications, rigid formal review processes lacking personalisation, conformity over empowerment and creativity, and opaque decision-making over openness and transparency.
Many organisations may not deliberately intend to create environments of unkindness, but they often fail to prioritise designing kindness into their operations. By not actively considering empathy, fairness, and well-being in their decision-making processes and structures, they inadvertently allow unkindness to persist.
It goes beyond random acts of kindness; it should be a fundamental component of every interaction. Kindness demands a strategy to be effective, you need to be deliberate with it. Strategic acts of kindness are better than random acts of kindness.
We need to be more intentional with it and consciously strive to create environments where kindness is valued, promoted, and prioritised.
But, let’s be clear - kindness should not be seen merely as a tool to be used or as an expectation for something in return. Kindness should come from a genuine place, it should be who you are. It's about embodying goodness and consistently doing what is right.
Can kindness be your competitive advantage?
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