Win the Day with Kindness
For generations, leaders of all sorts, have been portrayed on stage and screen as “the
Boss.” As in “Show them you’re the Boss!” Then, in 2020, Ted Lasso premiered on
Apple+ TV. He was a new, kinder, kind of Boss. Ted is an American football coach, hired
to coach a UK Soccer team. Everyone thinks he will fail.
BUT, Ted’s deep reservoir of optimism and, most of all, kindness, literally won the day,
garnering many accolades and awards for the show.
The headlines went something like this: “Ted Lasso makes me want to be a better
person.” “Ted Lasso: Kindness wins!” and “Modeling Ted Lasso: Choose to be kind.”
Being kind is difficult during deadlines, budget restrictions and employee turnover. So
how does Ted Lasso, and more importantly, how do we, as leaders, find the time to be
kind?
Practicing Kindness
Much like lawyers, doctors, and sports teams we are all just “practicing” at being better
humans and leaders. So, let’s start by practicing kindness.
Practice self-kindness: By practicing being kind to yourself, you can understand and
support those around you.
Practice being mindful: Kindness is the practice of showing up, fully prepared to actively
listen and with the capacity to understand.
Practice sharing success: All work should be a collaborative effort. All successful work
should be collectively celebrated and recognized. Start practicing by developing and
maintaining team recognition programs for jobs well done.
As the old saying goes, a little bit of kindness goes a long way, but kindness is a choice.
Choosing to be kind
Businesses who have chosen to be kind can now see it as more than an individual
choice, it is a strategic organizational choice.
Kindness helps the bottom line. Some leaders do not choose “kindness” for fear of
being seen as “weak.” Being kind is different from being nice. Being nice looks like
people-pleasing. Kindness, on the other hand, is being strong enough to be honest yet
non-abusive. Gallop has consistently pointed out that employees who are led with
kindness or compassionate leadership feel better, show up more, and together create a
culture that is supportive, creative, driven, collaborative and satisfying.
Kindness builds organizational trust. Kind leaders tend to exude warmth and
engagement with everyone, not just key players. This type of consistent kindness is
noticeable, influential and builds trust in the organizational leadership and the work
being done. Kindness helps break down defenses, results in clearer communication and
builds trust and loyalty by giving credit where it’s due.
Kindness breeds kindness. Treating others with kindness inspires a ripple effect of kind
actions that can nourish…a person, a team, an organization.
Now that is a fine way to do business.
Continue to lead with kindness, friends.
Jeff
