It is Never Too Early for Kindness

I post about kindness regularly on LinkedIn and I need to do the same on this blog.

I believe it is so critical to demonstrate kindness in the workplace. This is not to say that anyone should be “soft” or sugarcoat tough feedback. My point is that empathy and compassion have a critical role in the workplace. You can provide critical feedback, fire someone, address conflict, address tough issues — and you can still act with kindness. Get into the other person’s shoes (and get out of your own shoes), listen to, acknowledge and validate their emotions, and then deliver your tough message accordingly. Kindness can be part of making the most difficult decisions and addressing the most difficult conflicts. It takes planning, diplomacy, and emotional regulation but it can be done. Be kind – always. There is no valid reason to be unkind to anyone.