Kindness is our Super Power

The opposite of kindness is not unkindness or meanness as you might expect.

It is abandonment.

In a leadership context we find it evident that there are people you favour because for one reason or another you resonate with that person and you just like them. At the simplest level, the action of 'LIKE' is to invest your time, your thinking, your generosity of wisdom, advice, assistance, favour, opportunity etc. into that person's day. (This is the recognition of value)

The polar opposite of that investment is evident in the people you don't resonate with. This starvation of those values (the intentional lack of the milk of human kindness.) is a deprivation of connection, the thirst for encouragement, which our teams of course desperately need.

And make no mistake, there is a stark awareness of that intention to everyone on your team, after all, behaviour follows belief.

"Kindness is a choice even when fondness is not" (Samuel Johnson 1709-1784)

This quote for me summarises how we must model leadership evenly.

I'm not saying you don't have favourites as you are human, and we are all subject to attraction and choice. It is highly unlikely you will feel drawn to all your team, but you can regardless of attraction practice and demonstrate kindness. Generosity only shown to the favoured is not really generosity at all.

If a team member becomes abandoned, their performance and contribution becomes stunted which is the last thing you want or need. Everyone's  voice creates the conditions for better even though they may be square pegs.

If you struggle to like or resonate with a particular person or group of people, I have some questions which help to open up a conversational channel which will change your view point or at the very least provide you the opening for kindness and connection.

Oscar Wilde wrote: "People are like books, some deceive you with their cover, and others surprise you with their content." But if we don't ever pick up the book, how will never known what is inside it.

Email me at lead@thethinkfarm.org (Subject: Five Questions)