As a leader, what steps are you taking to foster kindness at work? Are you leading a culture of kindness?
I introduced this concept in my last post, here. A culture of kindness is made up of the moment-by-moment choices and actions that we make. It begins with the attitude and behavior of leaders.
Kindness is an interpersonal skill that requires a certain amount of strength and courage. Even though sympathy and caring for others is instinctual, consideration, empathy, and compassion are often required to lead and support a culture of kindness.
In my work as a coach, I have found that kind managers increase morale, decrease absenteeism, and are better able to retain employees. Moreover, they may even improve their employee’s health and longevity: less stress improves our cardiovascular health.
You see, kind managers understand that there is no kindness in allowing problematic behavior to continue. They have the difficult conversations with their employees to prevent ongoing failure. They work to improve the lives of others. How? First, they cultivate feelings of kindness.
Identify Kindness at Work
To be sure, it’s easy to focus on the negative. But when we see someone in an act of kindness at work, our bodies actually react in a very positive way. Even in times of social distancing and virtual or remote work, our acts of kindness contribute to a culture of kindness.
Research from 88 studies involving over 25,000 participants found that those who witness an act of kindness—from cooperative action to comforting someone in distress—increase their own kindness at work. In the study, the definition of witnessing included reading about, watching in a video, or seeing the act of kindness “live.”
The research also examined the motives and specific actions: whether people felt kindness performance pressure or were copying behaviors. They found neither was true, rather, people become motivated to spread kindness in ways that were tailored to different needs and abilities. When people witness others being praised for their kindness, motivation to act kindly also increases. However, the more time that passes after bearing witness to a kindness, the less inspired people feel.
Savvy leaders and managers make note of kindness at work. If you’re not already, I suggest that you keep a journal of acts of kindness at work. It could be a simple list with name, place, date, and action; a folder of emails; a collection screen shots; whatever works for you.
Also consider the social conditions that prevent kindness at work. I’ll dive into that in another post. In the meantime, what do you think? How do you define kindness at work? What acts of kindness do you see? I’d love to hear from you. I can be reached here, on LinkedIn, or give me a call: 561-582-6060.
