Kindness, how is it showing up for you?

Kindness, how is it showing up for you? Cath reflects on this important question.

In celebration of World Kindness Day…

Being kind feels good doesn’t it? However, it’s not just a nice thing to do; research has found that when we do something kind, it triggers our brain to release a cocktail of feel good hormones that flood our body;

Oxytocin – often called the love hormone – it makes us feel more trusting, more generous and helps with social connectivity. It also helps to lower our blood pressure.

Dopamine – this is responsible for feeling pleasure and reward. It also helps us to feel motivated and helps our heart to beat strongly.

Serotonin – this hormone helps to regulate our mood, feelings, memory, appetite and digestion. It helps our body to balance itself.

Being kind is both good for the giver and receiver and creates a ripple effect where we pay kindness forward. But these hormones aren’t just for supporting us to feel good in our personal lives but also within our work, leading us to be more productive, have a greater sense of belonging and a flourishing culture.

The benefits of kindness at work are far reaching; for us as individuals, for the team and the organisation as a whole. In fact, engaged employees are 22% more profitable.

But does kindness and business go hand in hand? At Team Boo we believe it does! One of our values is kindness and as the newest member of Team Boo, here is how kindness is showing up for me…

Nourishing my value of belonging. As a busy team, working from home or alongside customers we don’t often get together but we do pay attention to relationships and getting to know each other. Whether this is a night out together recently at the wonderful Octagon Theatre or enjoying the delights of cold water swimming. Myself and Amy, our Happiness Ambassador, work opposite days to each other but through first introductions to the team I found out we have a mutual love of cold water. This led to a conversation and creative thinking for a photo competition. I’m delighted to have a new swim buddy and we had lots of fun dressed as mermaids in the river whilst promoting the benefits of being a Living Wage Employer.

Learning and great feedback. One of the ways Team Boo support healthy and happy workplaces is to help bosses be amazing. Our leadership programs support managers to develop their leadership skills to support their teams to flourish. For me, I’m feeling really grateful that I’m receiving great feedback that helps me flourish in my role. Feedback is a gift that helps us grow but finding that sweet spot of detailed feedback that is kind, honest and stretchy can be difficult. Showing kindness isn’t just about being nice and avoiding tough conversations but paying attention to how we give feedback that supports people to be the best versions of themselves is one way of leading with kindness.

Walking the walk literally! At Team Boo we’re in the business of wellbeing and being authentic and making sure we care for ourselves is hugely important. I know that staring at a screen when I’m struggling to be creative isn’t the best use of my time so knowing that I can pay attention to some thinking time by going for a walk is useful. This helps to boost my creativity and also gives me some renewal time. I’m grateful that kindness shows up in how we can work flexibly and creatively. Paying attention to our individual values and demonstrating our organisational values through our behaviours is one way of leading with kindness.