The Kindness/Leadership Link

I have been thinking a fair amount about kindness lately. 

Kindness to others. Kindness in the world. Kindness to self (that one can be tough, I know). 

It seems to me that we need kindness now more than ever, and that need is particularly acute in the realm of leadership. 

Lo, and behold - a video came across my desk that addressed this very theme in which Goveror J.B. Pritzker offered his graduation address to the Northwestern University class of 2023 that the “best way to spot an idiot - look for the person who is cruel.”

 He goes on to proclaim:

 “The kindest person in room is often the smartest.”

Now, some people might think: “OK, Merritt, but what does kindness have to do with leadership and entrepreneurship?”

But not you.

If you are here, then you already value kindness.

Something inside you KNOWS deep in your core that, despite what your experiences to the contrary might have you believe, kindness is a key component to your success.

When we are kind, we can have access to more meaningful interactions.

We are thoughtful not just about how a strategy might benefit us, but also how it will impact those we lead and serve in purposeful ways.

And we can, generally, go to bed each night with our conscience in tact.

But do you know WHY this is?

As the Governer explains, those who act with cruelty “have failed the first test of an advanced society … and never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct.”

He is right on, and here's what it's about.

(This is where I nerd out a bit, so buckle up!)

According to Harvard, when a person is stressed:

 The carefully orchestrated yet near-instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological responses helps someone to fight the threat off or flee to safety. Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties.

And who can think with all of that going on? 

No one, actually. 

Because all of that activity takes our prefrontal cortex right offline, impairing our ability to make good decisions, impeding executive functioning and - you guessed - our interpersonal skills. Ie, acting like an idiot. (Oof!)

Here's the thing - in today's world we are in a perpetual state of discerning threats. Between our own stressors and being hyper-aware of the various daily disasters in the world, our systems are overrun with those pesky fight/flight/freeze/fawn hor   mones.

We are grumpy, and we are exhausted.

There are so many wonderful resources (link to one below) that help build skills to handle this response when it comes up.

But what about kindness?

Glad you asked. This is where emotional INTELLIGENCE really comes into play.

People (like you) who can walk through the stress responses, manage themselves masterfully, and come out on the other side still able to be with others thoughtfully, to listen, and to express themselves with poise and respect...

…well those people are, by definition, EXTRAORDINARY.

Kindness is a primary pillar of conscious leadership and where it's at in terms of the future of business.

What has been seen (by less sophisticated thinkers) as a weakness, is in fact, a super power.

 So off you fly, super hero.

 And as you are out there being kind to others, remember:

 YOU CANNOT NOT BE A GREAT LEADER UNLESS YOU ARE BEING KIND TO YOURSELF TOO.