Kindness starts at work!

Karyn Ross, Founder, President and CEO of the Love and Kindness Project Foundation

This month we welcome guest blogger Karyn Ross, founder of the Love and Kindness Project Foundation. Karyn is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, consultant, coach, Lean practitioner, and award winning author of The Toyota Way to Service Excellence, and How to Coach for Creativity and Service Excellence: A Lean Coaching Workbook. Her mission is helping people improve the world!

When I tell people that I have a foundation for Kindness, the first question most people ask is “Does your foundation focus on children? Because if we teach children to be kind, then it’s more likely that they will become kind adults!” And although I think it’s important to teach kindness to everyone – children included – the focus of most of the work that I’m doing is on kindness with adults. In the workplace.

Why adults in the workplace? There are a couple of reasons:

• In order for children to learn kindness, someone has to teach them how to be kind, and how to practice kindness. And the people who have to teach kindness to them? Adults. At home, and in school, it’s adults who will both help children understand what kindness is about and learn how to practice it.

• As adults, where do most people spend the majority of their time? At work. And because we spend so much time at work with other people: colleagues, customers, vendors and suppliers to name a few, and because often, despite everyone’s best efforts, things don’t go as planned, we have many opportunities to focus on and practice kindness!

Which is perfect! Because in order to become ‘kinder’ what we need to do is practice. Deliberately. And on a daily basis! And our workplaces are perfect places to start – and continue - to practice!

So, what can you do to deliberately practice kindness in the workplace?

Here’s a few easy suggestions:

1. Remember that people aren’t perfect.

And they don’t need to be. Everyone has their strengths, and things that they can improve upon. We’re all different and we can all help each other with the things we struggle with. Our colleagues aren’t perfect, our customers aren’t perfect, and neither are we! So, be kind in your thoughts about others and yourself!

2. Assume positive intent.

People come to work to work do the best that they can to serve customers and get their work done. Often, they struggle with cumbersome processes and leadership decisions that make their work difficult. So, if something happens that frustrates you, or makes you feel upset with a customer or colleague, ‘go see’ and ask them what happened. Then listen with open ears, open eyes, open mind and an open heart. Assume they are doing their best and then see what you can do to help them. Be kind in the way that you speak to them, and to yourself!

3.  Smile, and say ‘hello’ to everyone you pass in the hallway.

I know this sounds simple, but even if you don’t know someone, they are your colleague, and you are connected to them! A simple smile, and hello can change someone’s day from difficult to fabulous! And, you never know, you might end up becoming friends! When we act kindly, it makes a huge difference…no matter how small the action!

Focusing on kindness in the workplace has another added benefit. When we work in a kind environment, and deliberately practice kindness, we’ll feel better! As employees, team members, and as people. And when we feel better, when we leave work, we’ll take those good feelings, and what we’ve learned from our kindness practice, home. Home to our families (including our children!)…home to our communities, home to our cities, our countries and the world! And that will create a kinder world for all of us. And help others learn to be kind as well!

Thank you for deliberately practicing kindness!

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To get started practicing kindness at work, you can download The Love and Kindness Project Foundation’s free 5 Easy Steps to a Kinder Workplace program at www.loveandkindessproject.org . It has everything you need to get started, including ideas, instructions and a calendar to note your practice on!

Then, for further practice at work and at home, check out our new book Think Kindly – Speak Kindly – Act Kindly: 366 Easy and Free Ideas You Can Use to Create a Kinder World…Starting Today!

All royalties directly support The Love and Kindness Project Foundation.