The Best Way to Grow Your Business this Year with Kindness
The past two years have been rough. The pandemic brought a lot of changes and has left a permanent mark on us all. Overnight, a lot of us learned to work from home while essential employees showed up day after day to keep us safe, healthy, or to ensure we were able to buy food. While some ended up loving working from home, others felt isolated and disconnected. There were supply chain issues (we all remember the great toilet paper shortage of 2020), small businesses that struggled and are trying to recover, and now, there are staff shortages as turnover has hit record levels. But sadly, for many of us, there is now an empty seat at the table.
Now that we have reached 2022, we can see just what an emotional toll these events have taken on all of us. We will never be the same. So it’s important to change what we do going forward.
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” -the Dalai Lama
Kindness. It is the best business tool for 2022. The waves are still choppy but there is one thing that can make this wild ride better and that is by being kind to one another and affording each other some grace.
We need to cut people some slack. With staff shortages, it can be stressful for clients not getting the level of service they were once used to. It can also be stressful for employees, who feel exhausted and overworked due to staff shortages and sheer burnout.
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” -Socrates
You can’t always tell just by looking at someone what battles they are fighting. People aren’t always the best at talking about their problems or even reaching out for help. The one thing that can go a long way to making someone feel better and a little less stressed is to just be kind to them.
We all handle stressful situations differently. While it can be easy to lash out when we are hurting, it actually costs us a lot more to be unkind. Not only does it hurt others, but it hurts ourselves. Being unkind makes our wounds deeper.
“I’ve been searching for ways to heal myself, and I’ve found that kindness is the best way.” -Lady Gaga
With kindness, we can begin to heal not just others, but ourselves. Kindness is free so we can always afford to give it. Beyond healing yourself and others, kindness can actually help your business grow in 2022. When you begin with kindness, that will become the calling card of your company; it will become your company culture.
Company culture is extremely important to your success. A good company culture can make or break your business. Employees are looking for more than just a paycheck and if a company is fun to work for, they will find some place else to work and leave you in the lurch.
It isn’t just employees who are looking for a great company culture, but clients and customers too. People want to support businesses that stand for more than to just turn a profit. When you treat others with kindness, you’ll see lower turnover rates and clients and customers will turn to you.
“Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world.” -Annie Lennox
Choose kindness and you’ll see the benefits multiply. You’ll heal your heart and see your business become more successful. So remember, let’s all be kind to one another and afford everyone some grace. Life is tough enough as it is already.
