What is leadership kindness, and why should you care?
Well, as a leader, most things start with you.
To lead a productive team, you have to be productive yourself. The same is true for kindness. It’s a good leadership quality to have – if not critical!
But here’s where it gets interesting. Being a kind leader starts with being kind to yourself. And whether you like it or not, your behavior as a leader will influence others to do the same. So, if you’re saying don’t email on the weekends and you’re doing the complete opposite, don’t be surprised if folks follow your very well intended, not so well executed lead.
In this episode, I shared some practical tools and strategies with Andy Goram on topics including…
Why is Kindness at Work Important?
- First, kindness at work is essential and not just a ‘nice to have’.
- Second, it’s difficult to show that we care if you don’t have the capacity to show kindness.
- Thirdly, and most importantly, kindness starts with you. You cannot show kindness if you are not kind to yourself. You cannot tell your team to be kind to one another if you are not kind to them.
Lessons From Kim Scott’s Radical Candor: Get Comfy with Yourself
- Set non-negotiables for yourself. It might be hitting the gym daily or having uninterrupted dinner with family. Just build a strong foundation of what you would like your ideal life to look like.
- Establish a pillar for your day. Do something daily that sets you up for success. Personally, I need 10 minutes of quiet in the morning – and my family knows this.
- Master the art of pausing between thought and reaction. Learning to access that line can make your choices and actions more thoughtful and deliberate.
- “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor E. Frankl
- Get comfy with yourself. When you start judging yourself, name those thoughts, name those feelings, and name those emotions. I find that this exercise is a game changer when it comes to being at peace with yourself.
- The more you understand yourself and how you typically react, the more likely you’re going to take appropriate action going forward.
Embracing the Power of Silence
- Embracing silence is something many of us struggle with because it’s the opposite of what we’re taught in many ways. Most of us are in “Go mode” from the moment our eyes are awake.
- Learning to sit with yourself is not easy, but with intentional practice, it can be done.
- When learning to sit in silence or sit with your emotions, start small and focus on things like moving meditation.
- Sometimes all you need to turn your day around is to practice mindfulness and just do a little bit of breathing.
Why is Kindness Important in Leadership?
- Kindness in life is important. But kindness in leadership is the foundation of effective leadership, especially in this stressful world that we live in.
- Although leadership and kindness aren’t two words traditionally used together, kindness is what leaders need to improve team engagement and earn the trust and respect of their people.
- When was the last time you gave yourself a hug? When was the last time you gave yourself a high five? If you can’t remember the last time you did that, you’re definitely not appreciating yourself enough.
- The absolute worst thing you can do for your leadership is to make some grandiose announcement and then put yourself to the side of it.
- For leaders to spread the message and live true to kind leadership, they need three things:
1 – Practice what you preach – if you tell your team no emails on weekends, the same applies to you.
2 – To be a great boss, you’ll need to regularly get feedback – Getting feedback from those around you can really help you grow in needed areas and own the strengths that make you successful in your role
3 – Pause – Train your mind to pause and take a deep breath before reacting to anything.
