Kindness At Work: The New Link To Engagement And Performance

Forbes Leadership Careers Kindness At Work: The New Link To Engagement And Performance Heather V. MacArthur Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about navigating the unspoken rules in today’s workplace.

Following Jun 5, 2023, 05:03pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin In the popular show from AppleTV+, Ted Lasso is a coach who takes a different approach to leading his team to victory – kindness. The plot centers around how those around this character are shocked, confused and ultimately positively transformed by the character’s commitment to facing the challenges, setbacks and betrayals from a place of kindness. Many fans responded to this show and helped grow its popularity because this spotlight on kindness felt so different, yet desperately missing from our society, as a whole.

Can this approach work in the workplace? When popular phrases such as, “nice girls don’t get the corner office,” run rampant in our business culture, it’s a tough switch to make. Many executives will hear that caring about their staff matters but then in the same breath be told to get results and not be afraid to make the tough decisions. This tends to lean towards telling people where they are not making the cut and sometimes cutting them from the job entirely.

Kindness is a combination of several different behaviors and mindsets. In fact, we all demonstrate our kindness in different ways. So how do we get a sense of how to use kindness without it being a weakness or being interpreted as being ‘too soft’ on the job? Research is showing that kindness is not only a nice to have but a critical factor to workplace success.

Kindness. org , a nonprofit that explores the science and psychology of the benefits of kindness. Their meta-analysis of over 200 studies has shown that ‘organizational citizenship behaviors’ (OCBs) – “altruism, courtesy, conscientiousness, civic virtue, and sportsmanship” – are associated with happiness at work, as well as company productivity and profit.

Dr. Oliver Scott Curry , Chief Science Officer at Kindness. org, explains that, “Humans are very cooperative reliant.

Kindness in all of its various forms is a way of kickstarting that cooperation. Kindness can be seen as fluffy but it’s essential to keeping those relationships in tip top condition. ” So how do we apply this on the job while balancing the need to produce a profit, meet deadlines and achieve our career goals? Kindness.

org also conducted a study to investigate the link between kindness and employee satisfaction, with 1365 employees participating from six companies. Key highlights from this survey showed that kindness at work predicts happiness at work, and happiness in life. It even surfaced the theme that kindness at work is a better predictor of happiness than income.

MORE FOR YOU New Security Warning Issued For Google’s 1. 8 Billion Gmail Users Congress Introduces A Game Changing Crypto Bill Amid 350 Billion Bitcoin Ethereum BNB And XRP Price Pump ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Season 8, Episode 4 Review: Maybe Watch At Double Speed Some key principles to keep in mind to integrate kindness as an effective approach in the workplace includes: 1. Practice extreme kindness with yourself .

Jaclyn Lindsey , co-founder of Kindness. org, shares that, “If you’re unhappy in your work life, you bring that to every other aspect of your world. But if we create kind workplaces, it impacts the business and the wellbeing of the employees, while contributing to the overall wellness of our society.

” This can start with developing a practice of mindfulness and observing the things we tell ourselves when we make mistakes or are out of our comfort zones. If you can’t be kind with yourself, you’ll have a greater challenge being truly kind to others. 2.

See the whole person, not just what they do or don’t do for you or the business. We can get stuck lasering in on what’s not working and what needs to be fixed. Most workplaces over-emphasize ‘firefighting’ creating a reactive culture vs.

proactive one. However, when we focus on seeing another’s strengths, not just their perceived flaws, we have a greater chance of being inclusive of different views, styles and perspectives. This also extends a more psychologically safe dynamic between you and others.

Knowing that someone sees the best in us can inspire us to want to achieve even greater levels of success and support for all involved. 3. Debate work, not one another .

A critical opportunity to exhibit kindness at work is how you choose to approach differences of opinion or approach. When we debate the ‘how’ and ‘what’ of the work, while viewing the other person as an equal and valuable partner, we have a greater chance to innovate together. But the key is to ensure we avoid accusing others of negative intentions.

We have to own that we don’t know another’s motivations or thought process. We also have to own that we choose how we feel about situations and what we decide to do in response to someone disagreeing with us. 4.

Approach feedback like a game of catch . Kindness isn’t about ignoring issues or avoiding tough conversations. In fact, silence can often be experienced as ‘violence.

” This means that the lack of feedback can be seen as punishment or at the bare minimum, neglect. To ensure feedback helps build the relationship, while still inviting a candidness you’ll need to approach the dialogue like a game of catch vs. a game of tennis.

When we play catch, the goal is to keep both people in the game by throwing the ball in a way that is easy to catch. When we play tennis, we are hitting the ball to ensure the other person loses the game. The latter is what destroys relationships and the former is what builds them.

5. Foster a growth mindset. Dr.

Curry highlights that, “It’s a mistake to think of work relationships as zero sum or competitive. The more people realize that they are interdependent the more willing they are to cooperate. ” When we approach work with a growth mindset, everything becomes a chance to learn and grow.

This includes mistakes we make, as well as mistakes others make that may have an initial negative impact on you. When we engage from a place of curiosity we are less likely to get offended, triggered or stressed. This enables our brains to focus on finding and creating solutions vs.

how to defend itself. Lindsey emphasizes that, “Every human has the capacity for kindness. It’s in our genes, the relationship, well-being, Kindness is a choice.

Reminding people there’s nothing too small to make a difference. It’s up to us how we’re showing up at work. ” Even if your work culture doesn’t lead with kindness now, you can make a major difference by the way you engage during tough times and the micro-moments like a kind smile in the hallway or encouraging attention during a meeting.

Every act of kindness counts. Follow me on LinkedIn . Heather V.

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