I was brought up to believe that you should treat others as you wish to be treated yourself and whilst in my life this belief has been challenged, ultimately I stand by it. Since I became a parent I have found that being kind to others and demonstrating this to my children has become even more important to me. With all that is going on in the world I think it is even more important.
Last year whilst searching around for Christmas traditions I could start with my own family I came across the Kindness Elves who essentially perform random acts of kindness (RAOK) throughout December (and on other occasions through the year in our house).
At the time I was (and still am) interested in practicing gratitude exercises, doing some little RAOK and generally promoting kindness so when I was planning out themes for the year what better theme for December than kindness?
What has this got to do with your career? There are lots of ways we can incorporate kindness into our lives and this includes our jobs/careers. From working in a role which allows you to demonstrate kindness on a daily basis (like mine) to helping someone else in your company with a RAOK e.g. helping them with their CV or offering them an opportunity to step up there is always something you can do.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted – Aesop
Next week I will be discussing how RAOK can help your career. Have you ever benefited from someone being kind to you in your career?