Listen, there’s a sea of serious information available
at your fingertips—advice that can make you better at your job, achieve your
goals and earn respect. The two of us are consistently buried in this type of
information. We dig through many studies we find that focus on topics like:
performance, engagement, results, or commitment. We’re geeks about charts,
data, and graphs that might shed some insight into how leaders can improve
their skills. But, still, sometimes it’s the simplest message that reveals the
most.
Marie Unanue who has given herself the title
of Kindness Advocate, recently released a children’s book, titled The
Adventures of Phatty and Payaso. It tells the story of a cat on a
mission to stop a bully hawk, and teaches the importance of kindness, as well
as concepts like self-control, grit, and social awareness. Ironically, we
thought these are many of the same character skills associated with great
leadership. “Bullying is a big problem,” Marie told us. “But, in today’s world,
even as adults, the lack of kindness is just as big of problem.”
Of course we view kindness as one quality of
leadership. And, you don’t have to look very far to find many stories and
articles promoting random acts of kindness. But, this made us wonder; is there
any research to prove purposeful kindness makes us better leaders? Yes. There
is.
Harvard Business School’s Amy Cuddy, along
with her research partners, have demonstrated that
even before establishing their own credibility or competence, leaders who
project warmth are more effective than people who lead with toughness.
Basically, kindness and warmth appears to accelerate trust.
But, the link between kindness and great
leadership extends beyond just the relationship you have with employees.
Interestingly enough, it could also increase employee performance.
Consider this. Researchers at Oxford
University analyzed hundreds of published papers that studied the relationship
between kindness and happiness. They uncovered 21 studies that explicitly prove that being kind to
others makes us happier. Add to that research from the University of Warwick
that revealed that people are 12 percent more productive
at work than unhappy people.
“Of course we should be teaching children to
intentionally practice kindness,” added Marie Unanue, who is now on speaking
tour, talking to school children, and building steam behind her kindness
movement letsallbekind.com. “But, as adults, we also must be intentional about
practicing kindness. Random acts are great. But, let’s not overlook
opportunities to be kind on purpose—to make the world a better place, elevate
someone’s day, and simply look out for one another.”
Through our work, we’ve had the opportunity to
witness some of the best cultures, and meet some of the most prolific leaders
in business. Here are four things we’ve found that can help you practice
purposeful kindness at work.
1. Recognize, kindly. Celebrate the successes of others you work
with. Global research, from my own firm, the O.C. Tanner Institute,
shows that when employees were asked what their boss or company could do to
inspire them to strive for better results, recognition was, hands down, the
number one answer. It was bigger than pay increases, promotions, training, and
autonomy. Celebrating is kind.
2. Support, kindly. We all have busy, stressful lives. Whether you’re
a leader or an individual contributor there’s too much “It’s not in my job
description” going on, and not enough, “How can I help?” If this piece of
advice seems unsettling to you because you already have enough on your plate,
realize that the “How can I help” attitude is what gets most people promoted.
3. Give feedback, kindly. A 10-year study by Harvard Business Review shows that the biggest
reason second-rate executives don’t move up, is their inability to create
trusting relationships. As leaders, sometimes we have to tell employees when
they're not meeting expectations. Critical conversations are tough, but can
actually build trust, if their handled with kindness—meaning you actually have
a desire to help an employee become their best, rather than just improving your
numbers.
4. Care, kindly. The toughest part about leading people is
understanding that they are actually people—not machines. They don’t turn off
when they finish their work. They move on to deal with personal
responsibilities, health concerns, relationships, financial issues, and the
list could go on. Great leaders understand this, and they care.
Random acts of kindness are important. But, if
we want to be great leaders, maybe we shouldn’t focus so much on being random,
but instead focus on the one thing great leaders intentionally practice,
kindness—especially to the people who support our careers each and every day.
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