Be Kind
Unprecedented. That is a word that has been used over and over again during the past year.
“These are unprecedented times we are living in…”
“This virus is unprecedented.”
“We are experiencing unprecedented times in schools and workplaces.”
Another area that has been unprecedented is relationship building in the time of a global pandemic. And since it’s 2021, this should be an easy one, right? We have social media, Facetime, Zoom, email, text messaging, conference calls. We should be able to maintain and build relationships easily…right?
If only it were that easy. While the technology is out there to help us keep up with our current relationships and develop new ones, it still takes time, desire, and intentionality. This fact became exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. With organizations struggling to keep their people connected, there was one workshop we were called in to facilitate for a variety of organizations over the last 12 months. Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Building in a Virtual World was developed to help organizations navigate these uncharted waters.
What struck me the most through these trainings was that one part of my presentation always received the most “oohs,” “ahhs,” and comments in the evaluation. It was a slide that simply said, “Be Kind.” And here’s what it was all about.
To put it simply, there is not enough kindness in the world. And when we are trying to build relationships, kindness will oftentimes make you stand out. Two words…Be Kind…can be very powerful. It’s something I tell my young children every day, and a lesson I think adults might need to hear even more than our children. In his book, The War for Kindness, Jamil Zaki shows that kindness is not a fixed characteristic and that it is a skill that can (and should) be taught and reinforced throughout our lives.
Each night, in fact, I ask my kids four questions at bedtime.
What was your favorite part of your day?
Did anything happen today that you didn’t like?
Do you have any questions for me?
How were you kind to someone today?
This final question makes them think about their actions in a different way. I hear things like, “I let Paxton go first on the slide,” OR “I told Kambri she did awesome at dance,” OR “I got Annie a band-aid when she fell down the stairs.” What if, as adults, we were all asking ourselves that question each night?
“How was I kind to someone today?”
Perhaps our workplaces and our relationship building efforts would look a little different if we were all projecting more kindness.
Think back to a Zoom call you’ve been on recently. How could you have presented yourself in more of a kind manner? For starters, when you are able, it’s always a best practice to be on camera. There is so much that we share non-verbally. A simple smile can go a long way. It makes you connect better to one another. And, smiles are contagious. Or when someone can see you laughing at their joke. Or when someone who may be a little afraid to speak sees you nodding your head when they are talking. None of that can be seen when you have your camera off. So, I encourage you to come on camera on all of your Zoom calls, when you can. Certainly, there are times when we have to turn it off for one reason or another, but that should really be the exception, not the rule.
That’s just one example of how we can project more kindness through our work. There are countless others. So, today, and in the coming weeks ahead, I challenge you to ask yourself each night, “How was I kind to someone today?”
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Written by: Cayci Banks, Vice President of Strategy & Communications
