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Noticing when they are struggling with change - even when it's a change they want and need - helps leaders practice empathy! My new computer set up is great...but it was hard to change even though I wanted it! As you may already know, I’ve had a vision impairment for almost a year. It’s become harder to see documents on my laptop, so I decided to get a monitor so that words could be larger. That entailed getting a new keyboard, going back to using a mouse instead of my laptop

Scrolling through LinkedIn can be a joy...and it can also be extremely frustrating, especially when you see something you disagree with and/or believe is totally factually wrong. Especially if the post topic is something that is triggering to you, it's easy to have a knee jerk reaction and just hit the keyboard and type a response letting the person who posted know, in no uncertain terms, how wrong they are and why. Problem is, when you do that, the person who posted isn't ne

Use these four steps when you see or hear someone being treated unkindly in your workplace. My 4 Step Approach to Countering Unkindness and Meanness at Work Have you ever been in a meeting at work where someone shares an idea and someone else responds meanly by saying something like “that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard”? If you have, you probably didn’t know what to do or how to respond. Especially if the person who said the unkind words was someone in power such as a

Effectively and clearly communicating with customers, team members and colleagues sets the stage for clients to be satisfied, targets to be met and exceeded, work to flow, and strong relationships to develop. It seems so easy and straightforward. Yet so often, this doesn’t happen. Lack of communication, miscommunication and misunderstood communication leads to upset and angry clients, missed deadlines and targets, and strained internal relationships. And frustrated Lean team

Recognizing team member's efforts and work are a regular part of Kind Leader practice! 3 Things Kind Leaders Say on a Regular Basis My daughter started a new job a couple of weeks ago, and this morning she texted me that she was super happy because her new supervisor had let her know what a good job she was doing! As leaders, it’s easy to forget how important it is to recognize, on a regular basis, the great work that our team members are doing, and the time and effort they

Even if you don't have an official leadership role or title, you are a leader and can counteract unkind leadership at work. Three Things you can do to counteract unkind leadership “What can we do if our leaders aren’t practicing Kind Leadership?” This is the question I’m probably asked most by people working on teams in different organizations. Here’s what I always answer. There are three different things you can do: 1. You can speak up about how your leader’s words and act

All people are difficult. That is the truth. Reframing your own thinking from "difficult people" to "difficult situations" helps everyone move forward together to solve problems and meet organizational goals. As a leader or supervisor at work, I'm sure you've been in the situation where you have to work with an employee to solve a problem (potentially a recurring problem) and you find yourself feeling a sense of dread and anxiety. You might be thinking to yourself, "This is g

Humans are hardwired for negativity! Kind Leaders deliberately introduce practices to help people overcome that negativity bias and "assume positive intent" instead! Never underestimate the importance of “the meeting before the meeting”! Why? Because as human beings we all come hard-wired for negativity bias. That means we automatically ASSUME negative intent! That whatever it is ISN’T a good ideas; that we DON’T want to do it; that it WON’T work. But negativity bias doesn

I went out to dinner with my son last night. We decided to eat at a restaurant he used to work at that is now under new ownership. While...

It's easy to get confused and think that being kind and being nice are the same thing. They aren't. Here's why you need to be clear on...

It's hard to practice kindness when you are in fear and times are tough. That's when it's the most important to practice, though! Day 5...

It's Monday. Did you have a great sleep last night, or did you toss and turn and dread getting up and going to work? Recently, I read an...

Leading with kindness means focusing on "the means" or how you get there, just as seriously as you focus on the "ends"! A quick reminder...

Quick question for you: How did the last interaction with your leader make you feel? Did it make you feel motivated and excited to come...

I have a quick question for you today… Leaders… when was the last time you thanked a team member for their time and effort, even if they...

By listening with open eyes, open ears, open mind and open heart! How did you sleep last night? Were you feeling nervous about heading...

As 2024 winds down and you start gearing up for 2025, please remember that setting and achieving goals aren’t the only - or most...

You can break the Vicious Circle of Unkindness by taking action and speaking out when you feel like you are being treated unkindly. So...

As well as modeling how to be kind through their own words and behaviors, Kind Leaders don't tolerate unkindness in others. One of the...

“If people weren’t afraid of being treated unkindly (especially by their leaders) they wouldn’t feel fear.” And, “When people are afraid,...