I don’t think that kindness is a weakness. And I have a problem with business owners who don’t show compassion where it’s needed. Be kind is one of our values.
It matters to me that we are kind to each other, our clients, and our partners or even competitors.
That said, we are an extremely competitive team. But we don’t feel it is appropriate to step on others to get to success. In fact, in our business experience, quite the opposite has been true.
During tough early years, we also noticed and remembered the businesses that were kind to us. John Quinton-Barber and Ruth Shearn are two highly successful, (and importantly also kind) business owners that I find incredibly inspiring.
I have noticed with delight that there is a shift in the corporate landscape. Perhaps this is because, pre-pandemic, we did not get to notice what a client’s cat looked like or whether they have their children’s favourite school projects on display in their home offices, we didn’t share the challenges of home-schooling together. We didn’t get quite the same level of glimpse into each other’s lives.
According to a recent Guardian Article, just one person in eight wants life in the UK to return to ‘how it was before’ the pandemic. There is a widespread (and growing) appetite for a kinder society that allows: workers more time off with family and friends, cares about the environment, and ensures high levels of employment.
The message is clear – kindness is not an option. It is necessary.
But what does that mean in practice?
I think for me it is simple. To practice being considerate when making decisions, to lead in a truly collaborative way, and to balance satisfying my own needs with those of my team. My general aim is to foster well-being, innovation, potential, and productivity.
If you like the idea of valuing kindness in your business but aren’t sure where to start, there are some practical ways that you can introduce kindness to your business culture.
Here’s a few tips:
- Compassion – because sometimes life happens. We all have moments when we need understanding in our complex lives. Everyone remembers someone who helped them when they needed it, and someone who didn’t.
- Honesty – communicating with openness, directness, and honesty, particularly during periods of change or when there is bad news (and sometimes in business, there just is bad news). Leaders should also involve their teams in plans, in change and in helping the business to grow. We don’t always know the best way to do things without help from our teams.
- Clarity – leaders need to not only be honest, but also clear about what they need from their teams, in terms of responsibilities, targets etc (this is something I need to improve myself). The uncertainty and worry (as well as the inefficiency) created by not being clear is not good business.
- Courage – offering support to others, especially when there are reasons not to. As leaders, we need to recognise that while it might seem inconvenient to have an employee take time off in your busiest month, or to work from home for an extended period while they have childcare commitments, or to need to work at different times of the day to what is ideal for you – showing kindness, is finding a way to accommodate that person’s needs. And it takes courage to adopt that as a way of doing business as it also means getting your clients to work under the same commitment. It is not easy for any agency to not be available 24/7 for their clients. But it is necessary if you want to adopt a culture of kindness.
Kindness is not a soft and fluffy value. It has a hard-edge that is practical, supportive, and in my opinion, essential to a successful business-culture.