Hello, Namste, Bonjour
Kindness
Kind·ness/ˈkīn(d)nis/
Noun: The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
A lot has been said about the importance of kindness at school, and later on in your personal life and at work. There is some well-documented evidence about the importance of kindness. Notably in the book “The Power of Nice: How to Conquer The Business World with Kindness” by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, the authors support the idea that it pays to be nice at work and openly advocate that nice people finish first.
But how do we instil these values in institutions, organizations and schools? How do we communicate this message to staff and, in reality, where does the “be kind to others” crusade begin?
In a heart-warming article in the Harvard Business Review, Bill Taylor reminds us that small gestures can send big signals about who we are. He takes heed of the wise words of Jeff Bezos, (founder and CEO of Amazon.com) where in a lecture to Princeton students he advocates, “it's harder (and more important) to be kind than clever”…Mr Bezos clearly states that the lesson is that kindness begins in childhood and we are undisputedly modelled and influenced by the adults around us. And if we are lucky enough to have kind-hearted role models well that’s a real bonus in our future lives.
Organisations, schools and institutions have a similar impact on behaviour. How the people at the top treat their employees has a sure bearing on how they in turn will treat each other. This is not to say that teams don't need direction, they do… but the manner in which it is executed is important for long-term gains.
So for all of you out there who lead teams and mange people of all ages (and I am addressing all the mums out there too who are natural born leaders ☺) take heed of Linda Kaplan Thaler's and Robin Koval's valuable lessons in life…
EXERCISE YOUR NICENESS MUSCLES
Every day for the next week, do five nice things that have no immediate payoff for you.
BE A "BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR"
For each relationship, write down five ways that you can make your "character" more sympathetic.
MODEL YOURSELF AFTER THE KIND OF PERSON YOU ADMIRE
Try to model your behavior on that of the person you would like to be.
I leave you with a wonderful quote by Lao Tzu “Kindness in words creates confidence.”
Keep well.
Sunita
References:
HBR article http://blogs.hbr.org/taylor/2012/08/its_more_important_to_be_kind.html
The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness
By Linda Kaplan Thaler & Robin Koval
Bio
Sunita Sehmi was born in London and is of Indian origin. She has a Psychology degree and a Post Grad in the Development and Training for Adults from the University of Surrey.
She began her career in the recruitment industry where she worked in Executive Finance Recruitment in the city of London. Upon her arrival in Geneva, she completed the advanced level Cambridge University training certificate (CELTA) and thus began a career in teaching, training and development. She has taught English and Communication skills both in companies and in educational institutions for over twenty years. She is now the founder of Walk The Talk. www.walkthetalk.ch
Sunita lives Geneva with her husband and their two boys. She is currently studying towards a Masters in Career Management and Coaching at the University of Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchatel and Fribourg.
