Learn, Share, Grow – Kindness Can Make You a Better Leader

Below is a lesson from Inc. on why kindness can make you a better leader, as well as our key learning.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

Science Says Kindness Can Make You a Better Leader. Here Are 3 Reasons

By Todd Nordstrom

We live in a world with a lot of disagreement. And, in my opinion, that’s OK. Varying, even opposing, perceptions and ideas often lead us to the greatest results–both in life and at work. However, I recently witnessed a small dispute between a customer and a waiter at a restaurant that made me think about our ability, or inability, to disagree with someone without getting personal. In this case, the disagreement was over the check. The two parties did not reach an agreement. The waiter politely caved and changed the charges on the bill. And, at first, the whole scenario seemed pretty well-mannered. But then something ugly happened. As the two men separated ways, both called the other person curse words.

While it’s true that these men may deserve the spirited labels given to them, I couldn’t help but wonder if they had had enough conversation throughout their brief meeting to get any sense of who the other person truly was. Were they calling each other horrible names simply because they disagreed over a number?

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Key Learnings:

• 21 studies that explicitly prove that being kind to others makes us happier. (University of Oxford)
• Happy people at work are 12 percent more productive than unhappy people. (University of Warwick)
• Three ways that simple kindness could bring you more success as a leader at work:
  • Appreciation inspires greater results. Being kind means you sincerely celebrate the successes of others at work. You actually care. Research from O.C. Tanner Institute: employees state that recognition was the number one thing their boss/company could give to inspire them to strive for great results.
  • Connection leads to better ideas. 72 percent of award-winning projects involve people talking to, and asking questions of, people who may not be in their inner circle. Kindness is gaining the perception of someone else, whether they agree with you or not.
  • Correction can improve relationships. As leaders, sometimes it’s our responsibility to let others know when they’re not meeting expectations. Leaders who express kindness, and a sincere desire to help an employee become their best, build stronger relationships with their people. A 10-year study by Harvard Business Review reveals that the number one thing holding back second-rate executives is their inability to create trusting relationships.
• The moment we forget that our first responsibility as a leader is to actually care about the success of others is the moment we fail.