Karen Restivo
In Other Words....
Why is it that kindness gets pushed around and shoved in a locker at school for not being cool?
Since when did our cultural view of kindness shift to a state of weakness when identified in the workplace?
It’s time we rethink the origins of kindness.
Author Jennie Rogerson writes in her article, “Kindness Isn’t a Weakness. At Work, It’s Your Greatest Strength.”
In some workplaces, kindness is still seen as a weakness.
As if being kind means being “soft,” indecisive, or you’re not able to deliver great work or handle tough situations.
Kindness improves all kinds of wellbeing.
At work, acts of kindness can improve relationships, and reduce stress and anxiety.”
Rogerson is Global Head of People at Canva, a free online visual communication and collaboration platform with a mission to empower the whole world to design.
And what makes Jennie Rogerson an expert on kindness?
Since launching in 2013, Canva’s global community has grown to over 85 million monthly users in more than 190 countries and has created a total of more than 10 billion designs.
I’d say that’s a great start for credentials.
Rogerson’s intention for her article was to share the benefits in planting seeds of kindness to assist in cultivating a culture of kindness as a productive tool in all workplaces.
Here are some of the actions taken at Canva to incorporate kindness into its work culture:
Be Intentionally Inclusive - Inclusion is the bedrock of a kind environment where everyone, no matter how or where someone chooses to work, feels a sense of belonging.
Be Considerate of Global and Remote Teammates - Make it easy for people to contribute no matter where in the world they are.
Celebrate People All Year Round - Foster moments of celebration and discussion on peak celebration days and across the year….
Show Kindness Even When It’s Not Easy - Remember that we’re all just humans juggling deadlines and sometimes weathering storms outside our control.
Assume Positive Intent - Everyone’s circumstances are different and what’s happening in someone’s personal life can have a huge impact on how they feel and behave.
Get Comfortable with Uncomfortable Conversations - Be open to having tougher, or even what you may consider taboo conversations at work.
This might be on things like imposter syndrome, wellbeing or grief and loss.
Communicate with care - The way we write or speak to each other plays an enormous role in setting the tone for a kind environment.
Active Listening - Listen actively to seek to understand what your team loves about your culture and the areas of opportunity they see.
Celebrate People’s Impact - Recognize the impact of your team publicly and/or privately.
Use Inclusive Language - Canva found an inclusive Language Guide can help to support your team in choosing terms that are most applicable, and learning more about the differences in language from a unified internal source that is ever-updated.
In other words, Rogerson sums up, “Practicing kindness day-to-day places teams in psychologically safe and inclusive environments they need to create, innovate and collaborate.”
With well-developed boundaries, kindness is coming out of the corner as winner takes all.
Karenrestivo5@gmail.com