The Kindness Locker

Let the Games Begin..................

In a world where giving kindness is perceived harder than to be hateful!

I always love to be controversial up front and throw some thought provocation, out into the mix.

Are you caught in a world without kindness? Chasing down paths, where you only find dead ends, or hurdles that feel insurmountable. Does life feel like an uphill struggle? Are you always told you must reach that goal? And deliver this by a crazy timeline! Are you told that you must beat that person next to you, or you wont acheive your bonus? Are you scared when your yearly performance evaluation comes around?

All of the above sound like to me, that you are in a hurt locker and not being enveloped or conditioned within a kind environment in your work place.

Lets take a trip into the world of kindness, and think about how healthy and rewarding to the individual and the collective team will feel, if they are surrounded with kindness and leaning into kindness. I always struggle when I see corporations, still applying toxic and narcissistic workplaces. Now this is not me trying to beat down, or sling mud at Big Corps it′s just the reality of what we see and what we experience.

I would like us to think about how much more we could all get from being kind to one another within the corporate environment. I hear you say, that alone you cant change this and it needs to come from the top. Yes, in essence you′re correct, but how we can succeed is pushing our own emotions to start the daily habits, of being curious about kindness and see the results of when we speak kindly to someone, lets see their reaction and what magic resulted from this interaction.

We should never wait for others, because if we dont take our own personal leap of faith or get out of our comfort zones, then we will never change or even greater - have the opportunity to create positive disruption within our own ecosystems.

Think about that kind person within your world. How do you see them showing up everyday? Do you see them as weak or too nice?

Let′s explore that quickly!

Is kindness a weakness?

Unequivocally no. I always say you cant control that person′s emotions and how they feel about you. Only you can lean into what you′re and show that doubter how kindness is a strength and adds immense value within your daily life and operational output.

Hopefully with showcasing the way the act, then the doubter will identify this as a better way to be! Thus then adopting the kind and positivity lifestyle mantra.......

Kindness falls within the same bucket, as being a servant leader, showcasing positivity and making that part of your daily routine. Empowering and inspiring others to be like you, can also have a resoundingly rewarding impact, whilst the process to get there is such an amazing resilience building exercise.

Being kind and being nice. Two completely different things!

I am sure you have all heard the saying, "Sometimes you need to be cruel, to be kind"

What does that mean to you?

Cruel to be kind. Lets unpack that and break it down more simplistically, so we can understand it better and acknowledge that statement. Remember this is also opinion based, and as I am a kindness crusader, then I may also be biased. I accept that and I am extremely comfortable with it.

Example. Someone is continually making mistakes in the workplace. Do I berate or chastise them? No, that′s not the way forward. Do I take them to one side, explore deep and hard with them, probing with some tough/painful questions that could be perceived as cruel or close to stepping over the boundary. Surely the latter is the better way to approach it. In this format you are actually doing a great service, to both parties where they can identify route causes and how they can work their way out of these challenges. Lets say that the outcome, is the individual concerned just isnt the right fit for the job. There are many ways that you could solve this sticky point. But the end result maybe to dismiss this person, which could percieved as cruel and disrespectful to the unfortunate party.

That being said, we can flip it around and say. Actually I/we are being kind to one another, through making a progressive decison which in the long run will prove to be a choice which helps show the individual the power of that genuine and kind act.

Sometimes we just have to say, that some things are just not for us. It does not mean that we are bad or useless. I want you all to remember, we all have gifts and we all things that we love to do and we are great at it. What I challenge you to do, is start doing the things that you love and make you passionate.

This will foster behaviors and attributes such as, kindness, compassion, gratitude, appreciation, and positivity just to name a few.

Being curious about kindness is so powerful. We can really be moved by kindness, when we have a willingness to explore deeply on what benefits it has for us and our teams.

As leaders we are always searching for that secret source to help others. Whilst usually we havent helped ourselves first, by putting our own house in order and giving oneself that self love, and wellbeing. We always need to start with looking inside, before we start tackling the challenges within our own working environments. We all make mistakes, and we all have the opportunity to fail, and fail hard where it really hurts.

I ask you and encourage you, It′s now time to stand up and embrace - "The Kindness Locker"!

Lets start locking in kindness all around us.

Thanks for reading this article. I am extremely grateful to my family, friends, clients, colleagues, and TKG Crusaders who have enabled me to become the human that I am today.

If you are interested in understanding how we are tackling the theory of kindness, and best practices within the workplace. Then please dont hesitate to reach out to me, Tim, Coach Kat, Kelsey and Kehkashan for more information about our corporate wellness packages.

The Kindness Games, Crusaders, and TKG Alumni are here to serve.

Thanks to Stan, Best Friend Friday, and Sam Queeno for the challenge.

I hope I did you all proud!

Wishing everyone a fantastic Friday and lovely weekend.

Sending my kind wishes to you all.

Lee - The Kindness Crusader & Ambassador of all things kind!