Why is Kindness so Important (in life and business)
Why kindness matters in the workplace, and beyond!
Your “network” is not just limited to your professional connections and colleagues. It extends far beyond the people you lump into the work bucket into your personal life, family, friends, and more.
I often hear from clients in transition from a job or entire career who need to determine their next steps and seek out new opportunities that don’t know where to start. I almost always recommend they begin with their networks! Reaching out to those in their social, professional, and educational circles and starting a conversation about what’s out there.
A simple question to start up the conversation like, “What are you working on right now?” or “What trends are you seeing in your industry currently?” are great places to get started but even getting together with someone for lunch, for a walk, or connecting on the sidelines of your kid’s soccer game counts as reaching out to others!
You never know who in your life will be part of the breadcrumb journey that leads you to your next step or opportunity.
Human-to-human connections are vital to our growth and expansion and relationships are being built beyond just the workplace that can help us both personally and professionally. This is just one of the many reasons, I remind my clients why kindness is so important in life and business.
Why Kindness is Important in Life and Business
Imagine that thirty years ago, the person you worked alongside in that greasy spoon diner as a waitress reenters your world and connects with you on LinkedIn. You hop on Zoom for a connection call and recognize each other and exchange memories from way back when!
Now imagine that you had been unkind to that person when you were working together. You may have had an off day or were rushing, or they got under your skin. Maybe you were so unkind that you actually caused them to feel negative feelings about themselves. You can imagine the Zoom call going much differently when they put the pieces together about who you are and how you hurt them. Maybe they even tell others about your behavior.
But instead, you were kind. Maybe you were even extra kind to them when they were having a hard day at the restaurant, or in the weeds, or you encouraged them on several occasions and made them feel like a million bucks when they were going through a tough time! These ripples of kindness spread and spread.
Everything we do speaks to our character. Our actions are the building blocks of who we are.
It’s always important to be kind to others. You never know what someone else is going through, their story, and how your actions or words will affect them.
You never know when someone will come back into your life, who they know, and what the repercussions of your interactions (no matter how small) will be.
Clear communication is Kind Communication
Brene Brown is well-known for her quote and article, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” She’s specifically speaking to how, hard as it may be in the short-term, honest and clear communication is always easier in the long run.
Feeding people lies or what they want to hear, setting loose and unclear expectations, and skirting around the tough truths and issues, are going to come back to bite you in the long run.
It’s better to say clearly and honestly what you think, feel, and believe in relationships with love and compassion than to hide how you’re feeling and what the issues are between you.
Setting clear boundaries and parameters is also kind. There’s nothing worse than one someone inadvertently tramples your boundaries and your resentment crops to the surface. Or you have a sense something might be an issue and instead of giving clear ways to ensure it doesn’t become an issue, you ignore it until it becomes a problem. Say it with love, say it with confidence, and say it with clarity.
Clear is kind.
Kindness isn’t Charity
Kindness doesn’t simply mean being “nice”. It’s not giving away everything so you have nothing. It’s not related to this “good girl” persona that so many think they need to uphold. Kindness is a positive attribute characterized by empathy, compassion, and goodwill towards others. It means wanting the very best for others, believing the best is possible for others, and being supportive, considerate, and respectful without expecting anything in return.
You can be kind in everyday situations using your words and actions and utilizing patience in your interactions with others.
Kindness isn’t feeling pity for someone or wishing they were better. It’s accepting them for who they are, and where they are, and recognizing they have their own story.
It goes beyond being pleasant and agreeable and involves a deeply genuine respect for your fellow human beings.
Say it With a Smile
You always have a choice. I was recently in a situation with a friend where someone was clearly trying to get under our skin. We were swimming laps in the pool and someone wanted to take over half the lane, while we were using it, to run an exercise program.
We were in the lane first, and she was simply looking for a place to land, without having reserved space for her class.
We had two options, bark at her for coming in on our lane while we were mid-swim and give her nasty looks if she didn’t move, or ask her politely and with a smile to wait ten more minutes until we were done with our workout.
We did the latter. We asked with a smile if she didn’t mind waiting until we were finished, as we’d reserved the lane and would be wrapping up soon.
Sure enough, kindness won and she graciously waited until we were done our laps to use the lane.
You can see how if we’d been mean or petty, this may have ended up differently and a full-on pool war between us and her. When you have to ask for someone to accommodate or do a favor, say it with a smile. As the adage goes, you attract more flies with honey than vinegar.
It’s Hard to Be Kind When You’re Moving too Fast
We move fast about the world and as a result, we can heighten feelings of impatience, urgency, and stress. It’s hard to be kind when you’re moving too fast. It’s hard to be kind when you’re stressed, anxious, exhausted, and grumpy.
Even if you’re at the end of your rope on a given day, you can still extend more kindness by simply being AWARE. Moving more slowly.
It can feel counterintuitive to move slowly when we’re late, when we’re tired, and when we just want to get home and make dinner and put on our pajamas. But this is the time it’s most important to move slowly and be aware of how our actions and words are affecting others and impacting them.
Kindness matters throughout our lives from our homes, to the workplace, to our interpersonal relationships.
How can you be more kind in your own life and interactions?
I wrote this blog because I encounter situations every day in which I’m so grateful I chose kindness. This is one of the many things I help my clients with as well, especially as they navigate a shift in career or other transition.
If you’re in the midst of a transition or life change, be sure to check out my blog “How to Cope with Changes in Life” here
Looking for personalized guidance and support so you can step into your next step effectively and with confidence?
Book a Discovery Call with me HERE!
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