Author: admin

How kind are you? No, really, think about it….when was the last time you sacrificed profits in order to do the right thing, or gave time to charity, or simply took a moment to say ‘hello’ to a lonely friend?

My feeling is that we are all becoming kinder, thanks to social media and the way it introduces us to a world of kindness. For sure there are only so many hours of cute kitten watching one can do before being violently sick (about 11.5 if my home-based research counts) and so, yes, social media does have a lot to answer for. However, it is a force for good really and is a great way to share kindness with people.

Recently I’ve sent out a few tweets that read ‘Hello @A_N_Other sending you some kindness today’ and I’ve been surprised by the reaction. One of my good friends emailed later in the day to say he was having a miserable time at work and the unexpected tweet really cheered him up. Another tweeted a smile and a third made theirs a favourite. I put some kindness into the world and the world smiled back at me.

I think kindness is one of the new essential ingredients for a successful business. Increasingly young graduates are asking potential employers more about their social responsibility programmes than they are about career paths, because people want to work for an ethically sound business, and not a rapacious soul-chomping monster.

This week take time to be kind. Even if all you do is make your harassed boss a cup of tea (they are human too) and serve it with a smile, then you can award yourself a handful of kindness-points.

As for me, I have two radio shows this week, which is my contribution to a charity I love being part of. You can tweet me on Monday between 8.00pm-9.00pm when I host #NorwichHour @FutureRadio or if you’re in Norwich on Thursday pop into the Forum as I’m doing an Outside Broadcast between 12.00 noon and 2.00pm in support of Living Wage Week. It’s great how one charity can help another to help people get a fairer deal at work. (That’s my view and you’re entitled to yours).

Have a great week being kind!

Next week: Taking Care Of Us

A colleague of mine, some years ago, introduce me to the phrase:

‘Paralysis by analysis’

…which I have to admit describes my own style on more than a few occasions.

When we are tired, or hungry, it’s tempting to forget that our faculties dim. We think we are thinking and yet in reality we are only thinking about thinking as opposed to actually thinking clearly.

If we are asking too many questions, checking tiny details and spotting microscopic flaws them we are over thinking. We need to take a deep breath, take a step back and remind ourselves just what we are trying to achieve here.

Life is too short for peeling grapes or ironing underpants. (You know who you are). Let the small things go. They don’t add much value and they consume precious seconds of our life.

Instead we can take care of ourselves and take a break. We can work when our natural rhythms help us to think. We can get support too and maybe hire a business coach to create a productive and time focussed safe thinking space.

This week have fun by being decisive. Open the biscuit tin and give yourself three seconds to choose what to have. Any longer and you forfeit your dunking opportunity. Good luck with your mission!

Next week: Being Kind