Every year, when I hear Céline Dion sing “So this is Christmas, what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun”, I do reflect on what contribution I’ve made. Most of us want to leave a positive legacy; in my case, I want to contribute to more understanding, fairness and kindness in the workplace. Thirty some years ago when I started my career, no one was talking about kindness. Now, we are very aware of the broad impact each of us can have — that if we don’t treat each other well, so much is in peril, including the success of organizations and future generations of workers.
Kindness is about being generous with your time and with compliments, being respectful, being compassionate, and generally having concern for others. And research shows that the ‘givers’ of kindness have lower stress levels and a greater feeling of happiness. At work, there are many ways you can be kind:
1: Tell others what you appreciate about them, that you are grateful for what they do.
2: Be inclusive when planning lunches and celebrations — reach out to others who are outside of your ‘normal’ circle.
3: When someone makes a mistake, make them feel better by telling them about mistakes you have made.
4: Take the spotlight off yourself and think of ways to shine it on others.
5: Reach out and make time to connect with someone who is ‘quiet’ or may be having personal challenges.
6: Be patient when others aren’t as ‘quick’ to catch on to things as you would be.
Smile!
A year ago, our blog focused on taking an intentional approach to the holiday season by honouring diversity and finding ways to celebrate our similarities and differences.
On a more personal level, you may want to consider expressing kindness by giving holiday cards to the homeless through an organization such as The Christmas Card Collective, or writing to a Canadian soldier posted overseas through the Department of National Defence.
At the Centre for Character Leadership, we’re passionate about character cultures. Please contact me if you would like assistance in instilling kindness in your company culture.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Redmond, MA, MCC
Interactive Online Learning
Becoming Your Authentic Self at Work
Six-week online session begins Jan. 13th
Facilitated by Kathleen Redmond
“I am into my fifth week of the “Becoming Your Authentic Self at Work” six-week course. I have learned a lot about my own character, developing a heightened self-awareness and learning to cope with stressful situations in the workplace as well as at home. Our entire staff is taking this training!”
(Manager, Human Resources, Safety & Compliance)
“Such an amazing course! The live webinars helped to create such an intimate and safe learning environment and the content of the course really helped me to re-frame my thoughts and interactions with others while giving me tools and strategies for both every day and difficult conversations.”
(Senior Specialist, Human Resources)
Visit our website to register.