If kindergartners can, managers can too
Falling into kindness this autumn could be the transformation your organization’s culture needs. My kids are both young adults now, but it’s hard not to feel like September is a new year. Even if you aren’t attached to a school calendar you can feel the change of the season, the beginning of cooler weather, and shorter fall days.
Why not start this month as we wrap up the summer and move into the fall, thinking about what lessons our “back to school” season could teach all of us?
As we consider all the situations managers are facing with WFH and staffing challenges, focusing on how kindness elevates the workplace has never been more important. There are many ideas from education leaders that could easily be applied to the work environment.
Tips for Teaching Kindness this Fall
Here is a list from the PBS Education Website with Tips for Teaching kindness, see if these don’t relate to your own working environment:
Tips for Teaching Kindness:
1. Model Kindness
2. Teach Empathy with Intentionality
3. Celebrate Kindness Week
4. Facilitate Morning Meetings
5. Emphasis on Friendship
6. Create a Friendship and Kindness Center
7. Create a Challenge to Spread Kindness
8. Leverage Social Stories Including a Problem to Solve
My three favorites:
Model Kindness:
It’s likely your managers are juggling more than ever. Shower them with kindness and listen to what would help them. Your managers need to be shown kindness so they in turn can share it with their staff.
Teach Empathy with Intentionality:
Science shows that intentional kindness decreases burnout and stress. Elevating kindness in the workplace doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. This isn’t rocket science. If kindergarteners can elevate kindness in the classroom so can working professionals.
Facilitate Morning Meetings:
Starting your mornings with gratitude, celebrating what’s working, and openly acknowledging who is cultivating kindness will set an intentionally kind tone for your culture.
Let’s start this “new” year off with some lessons from our kids. Falling into kindness doesn’t have an age limit.
