Is kindness a business issue?

I've often been told that I was too kind or too friendly, despite having smooth-running, profitable teams. It seems that there is something about kindness that business leaders shy away from and therefore unkindness influences the direction of the business. There are also many studies showing that the unkind mindset causes significant business losses. So, is kindness a business issue? Yes, it is.

Why is kindness or unkindness a business issue?

In short kindness creates stronger, more robust, more profitable businesses. In contrast, a lack of kindness causes avoidable losses.

The purpose of StrongerKinder is to show owners & leaders that their businesses are better off when they are kinder; we are stronger when we are kinder. There is a common misconception that toughness or brutality are what makes a business successful. We regularly see this film & television with the likes of Simon Cowell, Alan Sugar and Dragon's Den. However it's important to remember this behaviour is designed for entertainment not real management.

The issue is so widespread that the third most popular search term on Google starting with "my workplace is ..." ends in toxic. Toxic meaning that the attitude in the workplace has a slow and steady negative effect on how you feel at work. On 09 April 2014 there were over 4 million web pages about toxic workplace. By 08 August 2020, there were 82 million. 78 million extra articles seems a lot for something if it isn't a business issue.

Google search for toxic workplace

Toxic can feel like quite dramatic or inflammatory language, so this extract, from Harvard Business Review, explains it from a different perspective.

"When asked to define the ideal leader, many would emphasize traits such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and vision; the qualities traditionally associated with leadership. Such skills and smarts are necessary but insufficient qualities for the leader. Often left off the list are softer, more personal qualities; but they are also essential. Although a certain degree of analytical and technical skill is a minimum requirement for success, studies indicate that emotional intelligence may be the key attribute that distinguishes outstanding performers from those who are merely adequate."

(Full article - subscriber only)

HBR

Harvard Business Review

How does it affect business?

Here are some examples of how a kinder mindset can improve business, and how the unkind mindset causes issues.

Pitching & proposals

An unkind mindset is aggressively competitive. It demonstrates to clients that you're more focused on the competitor than their customers. Land-grabbing, unfriendliness or arrogance also shows you probably won't play well with their other suppliers.

"It’s easy to see these other agencies as the competition, but doing so can often curb the success of both shops"

Adapt by Sprout Social

A kind mindset means you have a better understanding of your client and their audience (consideration), they have an enjoyable interaction (friendliness) and appreciate the extra mile (generosity). All of which makes winning work more likely and creates positive long term relationships.

Recruitment & retention

An unkind mindset includes a lack of consideration for the employee, poor communication with the workforce because they don't need to be told or aren't ready to be told and only-adequate working environments, where employees have the minimum they need. These reasons are the top 3 reasons people lose good employees or struggle to attract talent.

The stronger kinder mindset promotes consideration, thinking about employees' lives, good communication and giving more than the minimum. Applying these principles to a business attracts talent (improving productivity) and reduces churn (reducing costs and increasing profit).

"Bottom line: Listen to the voice of the employee."

Inc.com

Suppliers & overheads

An unkind mindset will try to exploit, get most back with minimum investment and won't give time or effort into building a good relationship where both sides win. But you'll get a better deal from suppliers you build a better relationship with.

[If] suppliers aren't offering to work closely with you to improve quality, reduce defects and cut costs doesn't necessarily mean they don't want to. They may be under the impression that you are the reluctant one.

Entrepreneur.com

A kinder mindset seeks to understand the supplier and what they want, not just your needs. Looking for what's mutually beneficial is much more likely to end in an agreement.

Time management

The unkind mindset is cynical and ungenerous, so it doesn't give the employee the benefit of the doubt. It assumes that the employee will lie and exploit the employer if they can't be seen.

“The common assumption is that remote workers are less productive than those who are in a traditional office. But our ability to capture, integrate, and analyze workplace data shows otherwise,”

Forbes.com

A kinder way of thinking is generous and assumes that the employee can be trusted to be productive, even when the employer isn't watching over them. In one survey, one California-based company saw a 47% increase in productivity when people worked from home.

That's the end of this section, it's time to digest, discuss & deliver

Digest

Think about the two mindsets. Do you naturally associate the sterner, cynical, less generous mindset with your (or others') work persona? Their is a large body of evidence to show that a kinder, more caring approach increases sales, productivity and retention. Do you feel kinder is better?

Discuss

Talk to colleagues about the types of behaviours and strategies that make them more productive, especially in the long-term. Does kindness make the business stronger or weaker?

Deliver

Start thinking about pitching, recruitment, suppliers and productivity, and imagine how being kinder (more considerate, more friendly, more generous) would affect those parts of the business.

Next: The Causes of Unkindness

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