We Are All In This Together
“Be kind to each other, sympathetic, forgiving each other as God has forgiven you through Christ.”
Ephesians 4:32
Reflect on the nature of kindness.
Ask yourself, “What am I doing as a leader to make kindness a high value in my company?” Then, start incorporating some of these ideas where you can. No matter how they change the company, they are sure to change you!
Here are some of the practical ways that we express kindness within our company culture:
Patience – Everyone develops and grows in their own time and in their own way. We model kindness when we support that growth and find creative ways to stimulate our employees’ natural motivations and abilities.
Mercy – No one gets it right every time. As leaders we express kindness when we choose to use mistakes as teachable moments instead of opportunities to chastise and rebuke people. There is plenty of judgment in the world already– a little mercy goes a long way.
Wisdom – One thing is true of all of us – we don’t know what we don’t know. Those of us who have been around awhile show kindness by sharing the wisdom of our past experiences with those that are coming up behind us. Never be afraid to share your own failures as an example to keep others out of trouble.
Gentleness - Often as we share important insights, how we say things is just as important as what we say. Leaders model kindness by choosing an appropriate tone and timing for sharing with others.
Service – From time to time, we are too weak or tired to carry our own loads. Kindness is demonstrated through acts of service in which we carry the load for others until they can take it back themselves.
Generosity – Employees sometimes find themselves short of resources, in bad relationships, or in need of sound advice. As entrepreneurs we transact kindness by how we employ the time and resources in our control. Generosity mixed with a little tough love goes a long way in helping others make their lives work.
Humility – We are all in this together. Life has a way of leveling the playing field when it comes to needs, tragedy, embarrassment, discouragement and pain. We push kindness to the top of our values list when we live in the knowledge that “but for the grace of God, there go I.” Kindness flourishes in humility.
