Career: Does Being Kind Mean Being Weak?

 kindness=weakness?

To write this article I played the word association game with the word "Kindness" in a business connotation with 10 people in the company. These were the words that I heard 'weakness', 'forgiving mistakes', 'someone we can walk over', 'impractical in today's environment', 'for the losers', 'does not fit into today's business environment'.

Are they right? Has the word kindness become a weakness in today's business environment? I completely disagree with them. Let me tell you why. 

Now let us look at this from my perspective. I have a fairly simple top down planned approach to work. I look at the company goals for the year and quarter and plan the work for what we need to do. I am almost religious about managing task lists with due dates, owners, and a clear articulation of the task. The due dates to most parts come from the people that commit to the due date. In just the last couple of years I have seen that 8 out of 10 times people don't deliver to the promise they make. Is this being kind? I think not.

I can hear cry's of exasperation. "What on earth are you talking about. This is absurd! This has nothing to do with kindness".

Let me tell you why it is. The basic premise of kindness is that it is a charitable contributions towards others and a knightly virtue. If this is right then, in business we have come to work to help the company do better. The only way to do this is to make sure that we value our words and commitments. This is by far the biggest problem that most of us face today. Nobody is kind to their own words and to their fellow employees. If we have any hope of becoming a great company we have to start by being kind. Kind to the promises that we have made to others. In case you are late or miss out on any promise, please make sure that you own up. Then go and fulfill your promise. Now, that is kindness.

Oh, yes! Then there is this other thing about kindness. Measure yourself by the same yardstick that you measure others! Sounds simple. But how may times have you broken it in the last 24 hours? (If you are like me, many times! Yet I try and will keep at it till I succeed) Kindness really boils down to accepting:

1. That we all make mistakes and when someone else does giving them the opportunity to own up their mistakes and giving them a helping hand when so that they can succeed. Sometime this might mean pushing them to succeed, sometimes looking at the yourself in the mirror and asking for help.

2. It is accepting that others (people, animals, plants) also have a right to live in this world and accepting them for who they are keeping up your promises with everyone you interact with including yourself.  

In conclusion, we have to 'Make kindness a way of life'. Kindness is a knightly virtue where you care about others. Let us practice kindness in our daily life by,

1. Making sure that we honor our word and promise.

2. Help others that make mistakes by imagining how you would feel when you made that mistake and how you would want to be treated.

3. Make sure that you smile, say thanks and please. And really mean it. It will come a long way in helping us become a happier and productive organization and better human being.

Many years ago, I met one of the most successful people both in terms of material success and values. His name is Mr. Bobby Lyle. He was one of my mentors at SMU and it has been 11 years since I completed my degree at SMU but yet he is there for me. Every time I meet him I come back a better human being and a better professional. If you want to learn more about Mr. Bobby Lyle, just google him. I am promise, you will be inspired. 

The first time I met him he gave me his business card. On the back of the card was written six letters that has changed my life for the better. It read, 'Make kindness a way of life'. From that day I have tried to make it a guiding light for my own life. I figured, if it was good enough for Mr. Bobby Lyle, it is good enough for Harsha Chaturvedi!

About the Author

As the founder of Vantage Agora (VA), Harsha has been instrumental in the growth of the company since its inception. Harsha has over 20+ years of experience in consulting, Enterprise Social Networking, Business Intelligence,  and Process improvement. His work with companies such as Fidelity, American Airlines, I2 Technologies, etc, has made him an Expert in Business intelligence and Process improvement. 

Harsha has developed a patent pending 'Enterprise Social Network – VA Club', Harsha also has 4 process improvement patents.

Harsha graduated MBA from southern Methodist University (SMU) Dallas, a masters in Computer Science from Louisiana State University (LSU) Baton Rouge, and a Bachelors in Engineering from Bangalore University (BU).

About Vantage Agora

Vantage Agora (VA) is a global provider of back-office solutions, custom IT services and consulting services for companies in the insurance, finance, and healthcare sectors. As a SAS70 Type II audited company, Vantage Agora utilizes advanced data processing and quality control systems on a secured network to ensure efficient, comprehensive management of back-office functions such as payroll, accounting, financial and administrative tasks. Founded in 2004, Vantage Agora has offices in Cleveland and Dallas.

Know more about Harsha and Vantage Agora.