Kindness In Leadership

In a global climate of increasing complexity and uncertainty, there have been calls for a more responsible form of leadership in business and society. The relationship between kindness and leadership is therefore a topic of fundamental importance for our well-being as individuals, for the success of our organisations, and for the future of our global community. Kindness in Leadership is one of the first books to explore both the concept and practice of kindness in leadership and consider them in different societal and organisational settings. Its uniqueness lies in combining an innovative mix of personal views from leaders with explorations of organisational philosophies and practices. It opens with a definition of kindness and its contours and underpinnings. It then explores the importance of kindness within different organisations, parts of the world, economic strata, age groups and genders, drawing on research on organisational compassion and neuroscience. In order to support learning, each chapter is supported by a series of questions for consideration and discussion. This will be a stimulating and thought-provoking read for a wide audience of practicing managers and leaders in organisations of all shapes and sizes, for academics involved in educating for leadership, and for students aspiring to develop their own kind and compassionate leadership style.

Kindness and leadership aren’t often synonymous. Ask someone to describe "good leadership" to you and you will hear many adjectives used: authentic, bold, challenging, charismatic, decisive, empowering, fearless, goal-oriented, humble, inspiring, original, passionate, role-model, strategic and transparent, to name of a few. And though there are many more that come to mind, kindness isn’t one of them. And here’s the problem with that. Leaders lead. And the way a leader leads – how they do what they do – influences those they lead. From the president of the country, to the president of a company, from middle managers, right down to front-line supervisors, what a leader models – how they think, speak and act – influences the people they lead. Leaders who think, speak and act unkindly give legitimacy and permission to those they lead to think, speak, and act in exactly the same unkind ways. Today, in a world where a leaders’ words and actions travel quickly through social media channels such as Twitter, their influence – unkind or kind – is amplified through repeated views and sharing. In an increasingly fragmented, polarized and divided world, we need leaders who will bring people together not divide them. Leaders who value and model cooperation and collaboration over competition. And who model ways to think kindly, speak kindly and act kindly. We need kindness to become synonymous with good leadership. So that when someone is asked to describe the traits of a good leader, kindness will be the first word that comes to mind. Essentially, the purpose of this book is to teach leaders how to lead with kindness so they can influence the people they lead to create kinder workplaces, organizations and the world. Each chapter contains a mixture of theory, case studies and reflections from leaders and the people they influence. As well, the book follows the fictional stories of Kay’La Janson and Kevin Landrell, as they become leaders in a failing organization that is ultimately turned around through kind leadership. Between chapters there are a series of practical exercises based on concepts presented in the previous chapter with space to record outcomes and reflections on the practice process. This book gives you a deep theoretical understanding of the importance of leading with kindness and also provides practical exercises for you to use to turn theory into practice. Because "change means doing things differently," and because we only really "learn by doing" to create kinder organizations, kinder communities and a kinder world, leaders must be able to begin practicing kindness right away. By the time you finish the book, you will feel confident in your ability to lead with kindness and also to address organizational problems at work, at home and in the community, with kindness.

Leadership is hard. How can you balance compassion for your people with effectiveness in getting the job done? A global pandemic, economic volatility, natural disasters, civil and political unrest. From New York to Barcelona to Hong Kong, it can feel as if the world as we know it is coming apart. Through it all, our human spirit is being tested. Now more than ever, it's imperative for leaders to demonstrate compassion. But in hard times like these, leaders need to make hard decisions—deliver negative feedback, make difficult choices that disappoint people, and in some cases lay people off. How do you do the hard things that come with the responsibility of leadership while remaining a good human being and bringing out the best in others? Most people think we have to make a binary choice between being a good human being and being a tough, effective leader. But this is a false dichotomy. Being human and doing what needs to be done are not mutually exclusive. In truth, doing hard things and making difficult decisions is often the most compassionate thing to do. As founder and CEO of Potential Project, Rasmus Hougaard and his longtime coauthor, Jacqueline Carter, show in this powerful, practical book, you must always balance caring for your people with leadership wisdom and effectiveness. Using data from thousands of leaders, employees, and companies in nearly a hundred countries, the authors find that when leaders bring the right balance of compassion and wisdom to the job, they foster much higher levels of employee engagement, performance, loyalty, and well-being in their people. With rich examples from Netflix, IKEA, Unilever, and many other global companies, as well as practical tools and advice for leaders and managers at any level, Compassionate Leadership is your indispensable guide to doing the hard work of leadership in a human way.

Authors William Baker and Michael O'Malley teach readers that--far from popular media portrayals of corporate callousness--kindness has a very distinct and essential place in the office. Without presenting a naive idea of kindness, this eye-opening book identifies the surprising attributes successful and resoundingly kind leaders share--revealing how traits like sincerity, honesty, and respect can benefit organizations and help them to thrive. In Leading With Kindness, readers will learn how to apply these lessons in their own workplace, gaining tips for how to: motivate employees, committee members, and others; recognize unique talents while nurturing all employees; establish a supportive environment; spur continuous organizational growth; adapt to change; and prepare the next generation of leaders. Subtly and very effectively, a gentler, more human conception of leadership has become the gold standard for excellence. This insightful and refreshing book shows leaders how they can leverage the deceptively complex notion of kindness as guiding principle to lead more effectively.

Kindness is essential in helping heal a world that is more divisive, lonely, and anxious than ever. Kraft believes it is time to reinvent how we talk about it, exercise, and bring kindness into our daily lives. Here he shares anecdotes and actions that can help bring change to our lives, our relationships, and the world.

Kindness isn’t merely about getting along with people and being nice. It’s a game changer in business, the door-opener to opportunity, and the key to authenticity and confidence. Discover the true potential of kindness and harness its power. Through years of developing her own kindness practices and studying those of others, Good Morning America correspondent and ABC News journalist Adrienne Bankert has experienced firsthand the unbeatable power of kindness and witnessed its transformative impact on others. Adjusting our perspective from being closed off and self-centered to a mindset of kindness ripples into a staggering amount of personal fulfillment and growth. No matter our age or ethnicity, where we come from, or how much money we make, every one of us can be kind. Every one of us can be a change agent. In Your Hidden Superpower, Adrienne will help you: See simple acts of kindness from a new and empowering perspective; Learn how to make kindness a habit and experience more peace, inspiration, and impact; Engage kindness at work and enjoy remarkable opportunities—plus, know how to get from “here” to “there” quickly; and Activate kindness as a force to reconnect you to your authentic self, replenish your passion and creativity, and find your voice. Your Hidden Superpower describes how kindness is a superpower that can be honed through an intentional lifestyle of kindness and is especially important in these divisive times.

When Organisations talk about leadership, they mark out a journey that is 10,000 steps long. Quiet Leadership is about the first three steps. It's an exploration of leadership in the smallest of things: our mindset, our words and our actions, in every single day. It's not about a grand aspiration, about formal objectives, or big development programmes. It's not about the formal power you have been given, your ability to influence at scale, or the varied ways you exert control. It's not about 'one' way of leading, but rather about a multitude of ways, and specifically about how you find 'your' way. Quiet Leadership is about the ways we are with each other in every moment, and how those varied 'ways' of being come together to give us the thing we call culture today. It's a practice that recognises that all cultures have edges, all communities have boundaries, and our impact is felt more in the shadows than in the light that we face. Quiet Leadership is a reflective practice, not to see the version of ourselves that we already know, but, rather, to discover ourselves in how others see us. Leadership in our reflection; leadership in our shadow. Leadership in our impact, through every action every day.

Everyone can be a leader-even you! Whether in big or small ways, what matters most is leading with kindness and generosity. This book explores what it means to trust yourself, rely on the support team around you, and highlights that a good leader can come from anywhere and be anyone.