Why kindness in business is no longer optional
— and what being kinder involves
First published onJul 20, 2020
Kindness is not widely regarded as a matter for serious businesspeople. Corporate language is rife with the tropes of fighting and fury. Shows like The Apprentice — one of a strikingly limited number of mainstream TV programmes about business — imply that success is down to an individual’s willingness and ability to win, no matter what the cost. And many leaders remain in hock to a default mode of engagement that is cold, domineering, and hyper-competitive — an old-fashioned “tough guy” archetype that remains stubbornly difficult to lay to rest. Simply put: kindness is not high on the common-or-garden capitalist’s priority list.
Yet all around us there are examples of businesses reaping the consequences of behaviour that might reasonably be classed as unkind. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have been pilloried for their recent treatment of staff. The share price of the fashion retailer Boohoo has struggled under the weight of claims about malpractice in its supply chain.
And Amazon’s campaign on career development opportunities afforded to its warehouse teams may sound phony to those workers who have protested working conditions as unsafe.
The mood music is changing. According to a recent Guardian article, a poll carried out for the strategy consultancy BritainThinks revealed that just one person in eight wants life in the UK to return to “exactly as it was before” when the coronavirus pandemic is over. The article asserts that there is a widespread appetite for a kinder society that “allows workers more time off with family and friends, cares about the environment, and ensures high levels of employment.”
The message is clear: in today’s world of work, kindness is not a luxury, it is a necessity. As the above examples prove, organisations are increasingly being judged on their actual (rather than their claimed) behaviour. Those who pass the test will enjoy significant customer and employee loyalty. And those who fail — well, sooner or later, the boycotts and bad publicity will start hitting them where it hurts, even if in the short-term arrogant claims of immunity might prevail.
The implicit challenge with all this is that corporate “kindness” can feel like the preserve of high-level strategic decision-making — supply chain or employee relations policy, say — and thus out of the reach of many. But, while corporate strategy self-evidently has a significant role to play in determining an organisation’s conduct, it is far from the whole story.
Kindness begins (or ends) with everyday interactions. Regardless of our seniority, each of us makes moment-by-moment choices about how kind to be to those around us. And, in the fullness of time, it is those everyday choices that exert influence on corporate behaviour — for better or worse.
What does kindness at work involve in practice? Start with definition. Here is a useful way of understanding what kindness at work is:
The leadership practice of considering, balancing and satisfying your own needs, your people’s needs and the needs of the wider organisation in ways that foster group well-being, innovation potential, and productivity.
This definition talks to the act of being considerate and responsive to the needs of others. In doing so, it reflects the essential altruism that underpins all high-functioning organisational cultures. It then links that behaviour to the enablement of innovation potential and productivity, both of which are essential ingredients of success in today’s marketplace. Finally, it reflects the truth of kindness as a value that is hard-edged, practical and supportive. Kindness should never be mistaken for weakness.
Kindness in practice
Are you interested in being (more) kind at work — and so making a contribution to building a kinder organisation? Embrace these five ‘C’s, which my practice uses as a foundation for consulting, coaching and training leaders in kindness as a pillar of effective leadership.
It can be especially valuable to consider them in the context of remote working — where, as the sort of energetic and body language-related cues that characterise face-to-face communication tend to be lacking, conscious communication is essential.
Clarity. In many places of work, people are unclear about what leaders need from them in terms of responsibilities, objectives, targets and so on. They end up with no way of knowing if they are performing well or not, and what the consequences of this might be. This is unkind to them, as it creates uncertainty and worry. (It is also unkind to the organisation, as it predicts wasteful inefficiency.) So, clarity means explaining the standards, boundaries and expectations you have of others. It also means being willing to hold to them account when they fall short.
Candour. Human beings are not wired to thrive in conditions of ambiguity. And we are all meaning-making machines: in the absence of a clear narrative, people will conjure up all sorts of make-believe. So, to be candid is to be kind. This means communicating with openness, directness and honesty, particularly during periods of change. Candour is especially necessary when the news is bad.
Compassion. Many of us have complex lives, with any number of personal and professional problems to manage, both large and small. Failing to acknowledge this is not only unkind at a human level, it is also bad for business. People will not commit to workplaces that make no effort to understand and accommodate their individual circumstances and needs. And a lack of commitment tends to inhibit productivity and innovation potential. It is kind to try and walk in others’ shoes and understand the challenges they face — while not sacrificing the other four ‘C’s.
Courage. This is the difficult business of offering support to others — giving them what they need, especially when what they need is not what they want. In reality, what is kind is not always what is easy to do; indeed, sometimes it can be the very hardest course of action to take. In that sense, courage is often the nucleus of kind acts. It is also the one attribute that is rarest in the world’s least kind organisations.
What is an unkind organisation? Reverse the definition: it is one where people are in the everyday habit of prioritising their own needs over others’ in a way that undermines the prosperity of the group. (Every unkind system and process in the world started with this behaviour.)
Consistency. “Do as I say, not as I do” is still the implicit mantra of too many leaders. Acting in ways that are consistent with the behaviours you expect of others — and doing so all day, every day — is kind to you and to them. It demonstrates and even enhances your own sense of integrity. It also helps people feel secure and understand what behaviour you expect of them. Conversely, a lack of consistency is unkind as (once again) it creates ambiguity.
The above might sound easy, but in reality being clear, candid, compassionate, courageous and consistent — in a word, kind — is often an act of servant leadership. This means that it won’t always be a comfortable experience for those practising it.
How do you check if you’re embracing these five attributes in your work (and indeed life)? Before acting, simply ask “who am I being kind to here?” If the answer is “me,” it might be time to take a different approach. Your colleagues — and, in time, your organisation — will thank you for it.
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