Kindness in Leadership: Why Prioritizing Kindness Can Benefit Your Business

Our society places great value on individualism and competition; consequently, acts of kindness may seem weak or unnecessary. Yet research has demonstrated their many benefits for both giver and recipient: improvements to physical/mental well-being, strengthened relationships and an increase in purpose/fulfillment are just a few reasons to recognize its significance and implement more acts of kindness into daily living. It is thus imperative that we acknowledge this concept's significance and work toward including it into daily living practices.

Kindness as a Priority in Leadership

Without kindness, leadership would not exist. Leading with kindness sets the tone in any team's culture - setting an example, showing empathy, promoting collaboration and celebrating accomplishments while communicating effectively and practicing active listening practices are just some of the many advantages of this form of behavior.?

Studies have documented the positive correlations between kindness, productivity, and science; which leads to improved employee engagement and productivity for increased results. Kindness helps employees avoid workplace stressors such as burnout that could negatively impact mental health; it also plays a vital role in customer loyalty as customers prefer companies who show care when treating each customer individually.

Kindness can play an integral role in creating a productive work environment where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered - leading to higher job satisfaction and motivation resulting in improved productivity and quality of work. Employees who feel valued often go above and beyond for both colleagues and the company in general.

Kindness is at the Core of Successful Employee-Leader Relationships

By treating employees kindly and building trust between themselves and their staff members, leaders can foster an environment in which open dialogue, collaboration, and innovation flourish - leading to an inclusive workplace culture in which each member feels valued and heard.? Adam Grant 's and Francesca Gino 's Harvard Business Review article shows how kindness can foster an inclusive workplace where employees feel valued and supported, leading to increased job satisfaction, motivation and productivity - thereby improving productivity and quality of work. Leaders can foster such an atmosphere by setting an example, showing empathy, and prioritizing collaboration over competition.

Kindness not only improves employee wellbeing, but it can also boost customer retention and profits. According to research published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, customers tend to choose companies who treat them kindly and respect. This can lead to improved customer retention rates as well as higher profits. Kindness can help reduce workplace stressors like burnout that have negative impacts on employees' mental health. According to Sonja Lyubomirsky 's "The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach for Achieve a Fulfilled Life," acts of kindness can boost positive emotions while simultaneously decreasing stress levels - leading to improved mental well being and job performance.

Kindness and Accountability: Striking a Balance

Kindness should not be confused with passivity or tolerance of poor performance or behavior. As Jeffrey Pfeffer writes in his book "Dying for a Check: How Modern Managers Harm Employee Health and Company Productivity--and What We Can Do About It," leaders can hold people accountable with kindness by creating safe spaces for employees to learn and grow; this approach often leads to improved performance and productivity as employees become motivated when feeling supported instead of judged.

Though kindness might appear weak in an otherwise aggressive work environment, leaders must recognize its worth as part of creating an efficient work culture. We shouldn’t confuse kindness with passivity or accepting poor performance or behavior. Treating everyone with empathy while holding them to account for their performance or conduct is a tangible example of everyday kindness. Establishing accountability through kindness can often prove more effective than harsher methods. When leaders approach performance issues with care and empathy, employees feel safe learning new things without feeling threatened or judged - this often results in increased performance as well as employee engagement.

Counteracting the Misperception that Kindness Is Weakness

For those who believe hard leadership is the only way to produce results, it is crucial that they recognize that kindness and accountability do not have to be mutually exclusive concepts. Leaders can hold their employees accountable while still treating them with kindness and understanding. As Jeffrey Pfeffer notes in his book, leaders can hold people accountable with kindness by creating an enabling and supportive space for employees to learn and grow in. This can result in increased performance as employees are more motivated when they feel supported rather than criticised when striving towards improvements.

To counter managers who view kindness as a weakness, it's essential to showcase research and evidence supporting its benefits in the workplace. According to Adam Grant and Francesca Gino's Harvard Business Review article on this subject, kindness can create an inclusive workplace where employees feel appreciated and respected, leading to increased job satisfaction, motivation, productivity gains, quality improvements as well as improvements in mental health among employees. Furthermore, research shows how kindness may also lead to customer loyalty increases, reduced workplace stressors as well as better mental health for staffers.

Kindness is an indispensable quality that can have a powerful influence on business results. By prioritizing kindness in their leadership style, leaders can foster an uplifting workplace culture that fosters collaboration, innovation, and growth. Furthermore, kindness does not equate with accountability; holding people accountable with kindness may often prove more successful than more punitive tactics. Every leader can recognize its benefits by taking steps to incorporate kindness into daily living to foster a workplace culture where employees feel encouraged to do their best work.

References

Grant and Gino (2020). Harvard Business Review. Why Organizations Worldwide Should Prioritize Kindness. Accessable from: https://hbr.org/2020/07/why-organizationsss-allover-need-prioritize-kindness

Lyubomirsky, S. (2010) The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach for Achieve a Fulfilled Life, Penguin Books.

Pfeffer, J. (2018) Dying for a Check: How Modern Managers Harm Employee Health and Company Productivity--and What We Can Do About It HarperBusiness.

Porath, C. (2016). The Economic Costs of Bad Behavior. Harvard Business Review Press.