News & Views
Kindness and Bravery
When you have operated in the Leadership Development space for as long as we have at JUNO there are words and phrases that are heard often and always. Many of them are organisational buzzwords and the corporate jargon of the day.
In our experience there’s two words that aren’t heard too often, that we think should be heard, and experienced, more often ‘at work’ – kindness and bravery.
If you are a friend, follower, or regular reader of all things JUNO you’ll know we do some Leadership Development work underpinned by the fine body of knowledge, pioneered by ‘Peterson and Seligman’, that is – ‘Character Strengths’.
Kindness and Bravery are two of the 24 Character Strengths that we all possess to a greater or lesser extent.
Kindness: helping and caring for others; compassionate; empathetic. To be kind there’s a balance to be found between being intrusive and indifferent. And you can, and should, be kind to yourself too.
Bravery: facing fears, hardships and challenges; speaking up for what’s right – even if it is unpopular and being resisted. The bravery balance to be found is between recklessness – ‘crash or crash through’, and cowardice – letting others do the tough stuff.
It’s our differences, as well as our similarities, that make us human. We know from the Peterson and Seligman work that we all possess the Character Strengths of Kindness and Bravery. They might be among our Signature Strengths or be Middle or Lesser Strengths, but they are Strengths nonetheless.
If Kindness and Bravery come easily to you that’s fantastic – keep going – infect your organisation with as much of each as you can.
If Kindness and Bravery don’t come to you quite as easily that’s okay – they are likely among your Middle or Lesser Strengths. Start small then. Micro acts of each may be all you need to do to have a positive impact on a colleague or a member of your team.
Kindness – help someone at work today with a small task, lift them up.
Bravery – if you see or hear something today at work that you know isn’t ‘right’, speak up.
If you’d like to explore how to use Character Strengths in your team, we are but a phone call or email away.
To finish – an aphorism from Mark Twain:
‘The best way to cheer yourself up is to try and cheer somebody else up.’ That might take a little kindness and or a little bravery.
Go on….
‘Management Tip Of The Day’ – with thanks to HBR
If you’re a manager / leader with a strong desire to be helpful, could you actually be undermining your team’s performance?
With acknowledgement to the author and source article here – Nihar Chhaya’s “5 Well-Intentioned Behaviours That Can Hurt Your Team” – beware these common ways your best intentions could backfire.
Beware the Risks of Too Much Humility
Finding common ground and consensus is an important leadership skill. But quashing all disagreement is ultimately unproductive and will stymie the flow of ideas on your team. Effective leadership requires recognizing when differences of opinion should be discussed and explored.
Overprotecting your team.
It’s noble to shield your employees from organisational tensions or issues that could negatively impact their morale. But keeping them in the dark all the time may in fact be a disservice. The best leaders know when to be transparent about bad news and when to keep it to themselves.
Being too involved—or not at all.
If you’re too eager to help your team, you risk being seen as a micromanager. And if you try to give them space to own their work without your interference, you risk being seen as absent or aloof. To walk the fine line between empowering and supporting your team, be clear about roles and responsibilities, and establish yourself as a lifeline should they need your input.
Tiny Thoughts, with thanks to Farnham Street
We couldn’t resist including this ‘Tiny Thought’ for April. There’s a nice connection with our opening theme this month.
What every human being wants and needs:
To be part of something larger than themselves
To be paid attention to
To be listened to
To be respected
To be loved
To matter
JUNO Graduations, Mock Interview Workshops & Client Celebrations for the month
Thank you for reading JUNO Institute’s News and Views
We’ve been helping clients and partners, and transforming lives in the process, for over two decades. We are always ready to help you tackle your next challenge. Please get in contact with us at JUNO at any time on anything and everything connected to your Leadership Development and Coaching agenda.
Contact JUNO here: Phone: +61 3 9866 7993; Mobile: +61 4 0854 3320 or send me an email directly at placey@junoin.com.au
Until May, Paul
