Three Inspiring Lessons in Workplace Kindness by Gandhi
With the year nearing its end, 2022 has left a vast majority dealing with an unspoken loss- of life and normal human function that came with surviving the deadly grasp of the covid-19 pandemic. End-of-year reflections, largely swollen with a conversation on future goals and the impending ‘what-next?’ question, often ignore how catering to loss before moving on is equally essential in a world submerged in a ruthless rat race. Incorporating intentional kindness in how one navigates their workplace environment can help address collective loss. Here are three of Mahatma Gandhi’s deathless lessons on intentional kindness to consolidate the basis for your end-of-year work reflections regarding corporate interactions, regardless of where you stand on the corporate hierarchy
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- “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
Be it overseeing the installation of a coffee machine in your startup space to make the workplace culture more accommodating or simply smiling back at your coworker having a tough day at work, all acts of intentional kindness do not have to be huge or have an immediate reward to be impactful. A little goes a long way in consolidating employee relations and promoting collaboration in a workplace setup. - “An ounce of patience is worth more than a ton of preaching.”
This saying by the Indian politician and humanitarian is the ultimate rule to navigate employee relations. Co-workers at the same level in the corporate hierarchy should be patient in considering alternative viewpoints when making decisions central to a project. Similarly, managers, despite a clear imbalance in power to those under them, should delegate tasks in a way that allows space for their subordinates to voice their opinions instead of appointing an impatient preachy stance. - “A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes.”
Prioritizing healthy competition over exploitative attitudes towards colleagues comes at the discretion of a thought. Cultivating a kind and mutual thought process then becomes foundational to ensuring that the workforce collectively thinks and embodies the long-term, greater welfare of an organizational setup instead of their immediate and temporary personal gains.