Kindness Counts

I recently came across an article posted on Inc. Magazines website.  The title was related to one of the sign of being a leader, but also included the phrase “…but may cause a Gag Reflex for most…”  I admit, it was this part of the title that caught my attention.  I read the well thought out article, and the attribute that writer Marcel Schwantes was referring to is Kindness.  The article provides the points to support the attribute and the related benefits. 

Years ago, I was listening to a speaker at an event I was attending and the speaker started to talk about handling people that are negative or become belligerent towards you.  The approached boiled down to “kill them with kindness.”  Recently, in a Darren Hardy daily video, he spent that day’s message on the importance of kindness and how it factors in on building his own teams.  For years, my wife has been saying, “…if only we could be kind to each other…” 

Keep in mind, I am not talking about kindness where it is a weakness.  That would be a situation where in Yiddish it is referred to being a schmatta (rag), and in English where the term is calling someone a doormat.  These are people that so nice, they let other people walk all over them.  Being kind does not preclude the fact that one needs to be tough at times, or stand their ground, or prove a point.  Kindness is a trait that in conjunction with other positive traits can have a big impact, leverage the Law of Attraction and provide beneficial interactions.  Think of it this way, if you went up to a customer service counter and the curmudgeon behind the counter barked, “Whad dah yah want?” and then proceeds to make everything difficult, there is a good chance that you will no longer do business with this company due to the curt reception at the counter.  However, if when it was your turn, you stepped up to the counter and someone with a big smile greets you with, “Good afternoon, how may I be of service to you?” and then proceeds to make helping you a positive experience, their kindness would ensure you would return in the future.

We all get our feathers ruffled at times, but a measure of kindness can go a long way.  Kindness to fellow employees, kindness to volunteer workers, kindness to family, kindness to strangers.  Sometimes, that little bit of kindness has its way of making it back to you in future.

 

The article that started me thinking: https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/this-rarely-seen-leadership-practice-is-now-linked-to-happier-workplaces-motivated-employees-says-research.html