Most importantly, it is important to know that kindness doesn’t cost a thing.  It can be a sincere compliment on a job well done.  Share a smile and a greeting to start the day.  And without a doubt, unkindness, such as harsh words, dismissiveness, and a lack of appreciation in all its many forms, cannot be tolerated.  While this sounds easy, 67% of employees report that they have experienced unkind behavior at work, at least once a week. (Civility in America Report, 2022).  As leaders, we must lead by example and publicly praise others when we witness simple acts of kindness; we set the tone.

Studies show that it isn’t just the right thing to do, it is the practical thing to do.  Gallup has reported that workplaces with a strong culture of kindness can see a 23% higher employee engagement and a 25% lower turnover.  Kindness is reported to contribute to a 51% increase in mental clarity (APA study, 2020).  Finally, companies with higher levels of workplace kindness report a 16% increase in profitability due to better teamwork and fewer conflicts. (SHRM, 2020).   That’s a real ROI that you can feel good about while making others feel good!

You have been kidnapped! You stepped outside for air at a New Year’s Eve beach party and friendly pirates grabbed you and carted you off to their ship for a trip around the world. You’re going to be gone for a year – with no computer or cell phone! Egads! What will happen to your company? When you are, at last, released, what will you find the first Monday back?

Imagine that you could see your employees before they saw you. Would everyone be working steadily? Would they have built the clientele? Would your team be serving your customers in the way that you would have done? Would net profit have increased during the year? Been stable? Declined?

Multiple leadership factors would impact the scenario above, but the one we’ll dive into today is culture. One good definition of culture is the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions.¹ A strong organizational culture is much more likely to sustain and to achieve stated goals than a weak culture — even if its values are questionable (think the Nazi regime). Paradoxically, while a strong culture can sustain even in the temporary absence of a leader, it takes dedicated leadership to build the culture in the first place.

In any organization, the only factor that cannot be copied by competitors is the unique mix of people in the organization at any given time. Many leaders focus on the product or service offered – attempting to out-innovate or out-perform the competition – and this focus is essential; however, it cannot come to the detriment of the focus on culture. Every leader should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What size shoe do we wear? Think of a company as having a shoe size, say size seven.² Size seven shoes come in a wide array of colors, heights, widths, styles and purposes – but they are, in the end, size seven. What shoe size does your company wear? Do you demand individuals of the highest intellect? Are you laid back and accepting of personality quirks? Do you expect extreme professionalism or intensity that includes long hours on a regular basis? None of these characteristics is good or bad, and each will attract certain people, but it is up to the leader to determine the shoe size of the organization.

2. Do our shoes match our briefcase (or backpack)? Imagine you established a casual, open environment where employees routinely displayed body art and jewelry, dressed in flip flops, and set their own hours. Now, let’s imagine that your company provided wealth management advice. Does your shoe size support your service? What if you design toys for young children but have a corporate office full of breakable displays and a benefit selection that does not include any parental leave? Will the best toy designers be likely to be comfortable there?

3. How (and how often) do we shine our shoes? The leader must be a culture champion and must enlist fellow champions in the cause. Instead, in a strong culture, every team member can, on demand, fill in these blanks:

a. Our organization exists because….

Profits are great – and even necessary – but they won’t build a lasting culture. We exist to make money rarely wins at the end of the day.

b. We benefit the world by….

Not only do most of us value a purpose, we value a purpose that adds value. (Say that five times!) I might like to design software anyway, but I feel even better if I realize that my software goes to businesses who help others have jobs.

c. My important job is to….

While we all do many things each day, we also have a few tasks that are critical to the organization’s purpose. Every team member needs to know these critical tasks and prioritize them first.

d. I know I belong to the team because….

Benefits are great, but it’s the traditions that matter. I have a client where the management gives out cheese at Christmas, and whether the employees like the cheese or not, being on the list to receive it matters. What is your cheese?

Leading is hard, and many leaders I know become overwhelmed, and eventually consumed by the job, but they do not have to stay there. Wise leaders know that one way to lighten their load is to share it – through a strong, self-perpetuating culture that supports their vision. What is your company’s shoe size? Does it match your product or service? Do you shine it up regularly and intentionally? And have you recently given out some cheese?

¹ Source: Investopedia.com. Retrieved: December 18, 2016 from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corporate-culture.asp

² Source: This analogy did not originate with me, but, unfortunately, I cannot remember where I first heard it. If it was from you, please let me know!

In the wake of COVID-19, many of us will be working from home either for the first time or with more regularity than we have before.  Along with coffee and cats, working from home, if not intentionally organized, can result in lost productivity, boundary creep, less effective decision making and isolation – just to name a few.  Add in kids suddenly ‘home-schooling,’ increased health concerns and uncertainty about how long this will last – and that sunshiny fantasy looks more like chaotic disaster!

Don’t give up yet!  Here are some tried-and-true suggestions to help employers and workers alike navigate this temporary “new normal.”

In General:

1. Pick a space that is your “office,” and restrict other activity there during work hours.  For most people, a desk or a corner of the kitchen table is the best option.  Clear away household clutter from that area and set up your workspace as though your boss, coworkers and customers could see it.
2. Get dressed and ‘go’ to work.  You don’t need to wear a suit, but get out of your pajamas!  Be prepared to present yourself on a video screen or teleconference in a way that reflects what people would see if you were in the office.
3. As much as possible, set structured breaks – every hour get up and stretch.  Every 2 hours take 15 minutes and do something else.  One of the real joys of working from home is that you can pet your dog or take a walk or start some laundry during your break – so make great use of that opportunity!  But set timers on your phone or the microwave so you don’t lose track while you are ‘on break.’
4. On that same note, take a lunch break – even if it is only 20 minutes.  Leave your ‘office,’ prepare something to eat, and eat it in a different location.  Consider taking a 10 minute walk or stretch outside where you can get some sunshine – and maybe wave at a neighbor (from six feet away).
5. Have a meeting with someone each day using  video so that you can see someone else’s eyeballs.  If you do not have that capacity on your computer, download a free app on your phone.  (Zoom, Go-To-Meeting, Google Hangouts, and Microsoft Teams are a few of the many apps that will provide this service free of charge.)
6. If you are a manager, increase your group meeting frequency – although not necessarily meeting length.  Consider having a short group meeting each day to talk about to-do lists and projects – and just let everyone know that you are all still a team.  Encourage people to call, text, email and video chat when making decisions.  Collaborative decision making is proven to result in better decisions most of the time – and it is one of the things that is quickly lost when people cannot just “stop by” a colleague’s office.
7. Create a “to do” list and pretend that you have to ‘go home’ at your regular time – so that you can focus on trying to get your list done during the workday.
8. At the end of the day, ‘leave’ your office.  Either physically leave or put away your computer and work things.  
9. Resist the urge to continue working in the evening – especially right now.  Instead, devote your evening to taking care of your mental and physical health.  Need a suggestion?
   1. Fix a healthy meal
   2. Take a walk in your neighborhood
   3. Enjoy a cup of tea on your patio
   4. Read a favorite book or watch a funny television or online show
   5. Play a game with your family (or virtually if you live by yourself)
   6. Clean out your closets
   7. Make a list of projects you’ve been delaying

Keeping up your mental health is always important – and even more so when your universe shrinks in a “work-from-home” environment.

Additional Information for those with children at home:

1. Create a schedule for them or (if they are old enough) have them design a schedule for themselves, keeping as close to their school schedule as possible.  For example, if they typically do English, Social Studies and Science in the morning, then have them do online assignments in that order or assign them reading or a school project (e.g. trace and color a map of South America).
2. Encourage them to schedule in breaks with activities they can look forward to.
3. Be realistic about the amount of supervision you are going to need to provide.  If you will need to check in on them every 30 minutes or so, then plan those breaks into your day.  Most children, even very young ones, can occupy themselves within eyesight for twenty minutes at a time which will allow you write an email or read a report.  Reserve educational shows for those longer conference calls.
4. Coordinate with your office and family members to alternate schedules.  Perhaps you can supervise children from 8-1 and an older child or family member can oversee play time from 1-4 while you work, and then you can work again later in the evening when the children are in bed.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the current environment.  What is true is that, if companies and employees work together, we can figure out solutions to ensure that the critical work goes forward during these next few weeks (or months) and we come out of this situation smarter, healthier, and more productive than before!  (And we might still like ice cream!)

Written by Leslie Hayes, Founder and President