5 Reasons Leading With Kindness Matters
If you’ve ever experienced kindness in the workplace or met kind leaders like the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, you know the kind of positive impact this trait alone can have on you and your organization.
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If you’ve ever experienced kindness in the workplace or met kind leaders like the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, you know the kind of positive impact this trait alone can have on you and your organization.
Yet, more often than not, I see organizations and leadership teams prioritize characteristics like ambition, honesty, or innovation over kindness, even though it’s just as crucial to their bottom line.
That’s why the focus of today’s blog is all about the importance of leading with kindness. And more importantly, how practicing it in the workplace can positively benefit you and your company.
Five benefits of practicing kindness in the workplace
1. It makes you happier — if you read my post about the value of paying it forward, you might recall me talking about experiencing “helper’s high.” According to Steffi Black, a Life & Career Coach, Culture Strategist, and Kindness Advocate, practicing kindness can affect you on a biochemical level. And I couldn’t agree more because anytime I’ve ever done something kind for someone at work or in my personal life, I instantly feel happier.
2. It accelerates trust — think back to how you felt when a coworker complimented you, genuinely offered to help, or grabbed an extra cup of coffee for you on their way to work. Chances are you probably felt somehow closer and more connected to that person. And if there’s anything I know about trust, it’s built on genuine connection first. So, if building a solid foundation with your team or boss is crucial to you, then taking the time to practice kindness should be too.
3. It boosts productivity and profitability — would you be more motivated by positive praise and support from your boss or harsh criticism and threats? The same answer is true of your team or coworkers. When you show empathy and kindness in the workplace, your employees or coworkers are more likely to be inspired to not only do the work but deliver better results.
4. It helps with employee retention — it’s no surprise that employees are no longer just interested in titles and salaries but whether the company they work for genuinely cares for them fiscally and emotionally. This was the case for me when I first met the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, while working as a Senior Engineering Program Manager. I remember feeling like he saw me and cared about me as a person when we spoke. And that has stuck with me ever since.
5. It improves your health — in case you need any more convincing about the benefits of kindness, it improves your health too. Yep, you read that right. According to the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, showing kindness can reduce blood pressure, pain, isolation, anxiety, and stress.
Now that you know the perks of practicing kindness, I’ll leave you with some easy tips to share in your workplace.
Easy tips to spread kindness at work
Let someone know they’re doing a great job
Share a note to make a coworker’s day
Offer to help with a new or existing project
Be a cheerleader for someone else’s ideas
Celebrate fun milestones in addition to birthdays
Take time to listen to someone when they need you most
Bring in treats or coffee to share or send someone a gift card to a nearby coffee shop or restaurant
Have more ideas for spreading kindness to add to the list? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! Better yet, make it a daily practice at work, and let me know what changes you notice.
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