Maybe Your Company Needs a "Kindness Makeover" December 03, 2009
No one would confuse your company with a philanthropic organization, but is there more your executives could do to be kinder? A new book seeks to convince your bosses that you do, indeed, need to get nicer, and tries to give you some ideas on how to do it.
Kristin Tillquist, author of "Capitalizing on Kindness: Why 21st Century Professionals Need to Be Nice," says kindness isn't just the right thing to do, but a smart business move. "People are increasingly choosing to do business with people they know, like, and trust. The key to success now is to be who people turn to," says Tillquist.
Does "kindness" best describe you, or do you identify more with the style of Leona Helmsley? Here are five questions Tillquist says you should ask yourself:
1. Do you and your business have a reputation for kindness?
2. Do you have a likeable personality that draws others to you?
3. Do you have an ample reciprocity reserve built from your past favors and kindnesses?
4. Do you regularly use the power of thanks to win the loyalty of employees, customers, and stakeholders?
5. Do you emphasize cooperation and avoid tit-for-tat competition?
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, says Tillquist, a Kindness Makeover is in order starting with the following five actions:
1. Institute a simple thanking program—at least one compliment a day.
2. Practice extreme customer compassion.
3. Create a culture of kindness to attract and retain the "best of the best" employees.
4. Know positivity equals productivity. Hire for niceness.
5. Think beyond short term, one-time wins; business success is more a marathon than a sprint.
Remember, says Tillquist, when the going gets tough, the tough…get nicer.
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