Have you ever committed a random act of kindness? On the spur of the moment, this type of spontaneous act can really make someone’s day. Equally important is how this act can affect you. It can have a terrific impact on your mood, your current outlook, and often times, can reshape your day. It really doesn’t take very much to cause alterations to the path that your day is taking. When someone takes a few seconds to hold the door open for you or, steps aside to allow you to place your order for your morning coffee first, good things tend to follow. You might recall from a number of years back, a sudden surge in occurrences of people paying for the coffee order of the person behind them in the drive-through line up or, inside a quick serve restaurant. The recipient of this gesture, felt the benefit of the kindness immediately, and more often than not, returned the favour to the person behind them. Each of us at some point, has most likely been the beneficiary of kindness. With a random act or something more familiar, there is an immediate appreciation for the gesture, and the thoughtfulness of the person that provided the kindness.
Now consider what the effects of those acts of kindness are on the benefactor. Set aside for a moment, any question around the motivation for doling out the kindness. It is the after effect of providing the kindness that provides a positive, lingering effect for the person, that’s being kind. There are a number of positive outcomes that can come to you, from your offer kindness to another You could make your own current situation, the mundane act of waiting for a morning coffee order for example, a little nicer. You could make a positive difference in someone’s day by providing any manner of assistance. By making a habit of providing acts of kindness, you’ll find some personal benefit to your mood and mindset, most any time; Whether you are with a loved one, a friend or neighbour or a stranger that you happen to be standing in line with. You can also find benefit from this habit, in your workday and on the work you do.
Practicing the habit of kindness will have a noticeable, positive effect on your personal brand in your career. As a team member in your department or the person responsible for leading others, you might find that your habit can benefit someone that is feeling a little down. In a retail setting giving assistance with putting an order away, or carrying a heavy load on a job site, or in finishing up a month end report. These simple acts of kindness can lift your teammate’s mood, just as it does for you. Imagine how a workplace benefits from this habit.
Your Leadership Brand will most certainly benefit from this kindness habit. The example of your actions and the coaching advice provided can become infectious. Your habit or advice can encourage team members to find ways to assist others. Simply notice that another teammate could use a little bit of assistance with some work, lean in with that teammate and the benefits begin to emerge for both. Before long, the kindness habit and resulting benefits, can help teammates understand each other a little better, provide an example for new hires and contribute to the morale of the entire department perhaps the organization. While we’re at it, these benefits can extend through to the experience your customers feel.
Providing these acts of kindness can feel like we’re sharing something good and perhaps remind us of the good things that we enjoy. It can also feel helpful to others; And when you help others, you feel good about yourself, too.
“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give” — Winston Churchill