Brigette Hyacinth* says the overbearing, results-obsessed boss has no place in the modern workplace where employees expect empathy and respect.
For far too long, being nice has been mistaken for being weak.
In reality, niceness is a necessary quality of leadership for the world we’re living in.
It has become so rare that when someone does a kind act or goes out of their way to be nice to someone, it goes viral on social media.
Being nice doesn’t mean you can’t make hard decisions or stand up to difficult people.
It just means you are respectful, kind, and show empathy to your employees.
When kindness isn’t modelled in the workplace, we find ourselves in an environment that is, unhealthy and at worst, toxic.
Today people are clamouring for a more human style of leadership.
In an age of automation and artificial intelligence, leaders’ hard skills are easily being replicated by smart technology.
What will make the difference in effective leadership are soft skills.
Here are seven ways I’ve found being nice can bring you more success as a leader at work.
You can start to encourage a culture of being nice to others by carrying out random acts of kindness during your day.
Be considerate: Hold the door open for the person behind you.
If you are going to the water cooler, ask someone close to you if they would like you to fetch water for them also.
Smile at a colleague: When you make eye contact and smile at someone you are showing that they matter which gives them a boost of happiness.
Mind your manners: Say “good morning” or “hello” to colleagues more often.
Show appreciation: Be more vocal in your praise. Acknowledge the contribution and efforts of others.
Listen more: Learn to listen with the intent to understand.
Don’t just dismiss or ridicule others’ viewpoints. Listening shows that you care.
Offer support: Help team members who are struggling.
Treat everyone with respect: Whether it is the janitor or the chief executive — everyone you meet may be fighting a battle you know nothing about.
The way you treat others shows your values and true character. You can’t influence others if you aren’t authentic.
Employees are looking at you as a leader to determine if they can trust you.
In my experience, tough and nice doesn’t have to be incompatible.
Managers, please use the human-to-human approach when dealing with employees.
It’s people you are dealing with, not just a statistic on a graph.
Get to know your people. Employees want to be treated as human beings.
In the end, people make organisations successful.
Any strategy or business plan relies on motivated and engaged people to make it happen.
It’s just like a relationship — for it to last there must be mutual respect, love, trust, understanding and appreciation.
Without these, the foundation is shaky.
This is why the most successful organisations focus on people and relationships, and make sure both are not just managed but led and cared for.
*Brigette Hyacinth founded the MBA Caribbean Organisation which conducts seminars and workshops in leadership, management and education. She can be contacted at www.mbacaribbean.org.
This article first appeared on Brigette’s blogsite
