Welcome to The Kind Leader Newsletter #2! Tip #2: Give people your undivided attention. As a leader, you’re probably pretty busy. It can be tempting to multi-task by checking your phone or computer while talking with people. Especially if you feel like the person is ‘taking too long to get to the point’ or if you think you have more important things to do. However, constantly looking down at your phone, your computer or…
Welcome to The Kind Leader Newsletter #3! Tip #3: Find something to compliment in each person’s work. Twice last week, someone sent me something they had written to review. “Poke holes in it”, they said. “I want you to tell me what could be improved!” After reading both documents, here’s what I replied: “Your document looks great! Well thought out and written. Why don’t you just go ahead and send it out?!” A short…
It’s Saturday! My Creativity Day! I’m super excited because my new Vote For Kindness yard signs were delivered yesterday! I put one up in my yard, and I’ve already had a number of neighbors stop by to ask for one! That makes me super happy! You might be asking yourself, “It’s your Creativity Day! Why are you posting about kindness? What do Creativity and Kindness have do with each other?” A lot! Creating a kinder…
The Love and Kindness Project Foundation is proud to sponsor COVID-19 Parent University, a series of one-hour online learning forums and connected communities to bring parents and teachers together to create kind, positive, remote learning experiences. COVID-19 Parent University is the brainchild of our very own Foundation Secretary Alefiyah Tawawalla, and led by collaboratively and cooperatively by parents and teachers working together. The first one took place on Monday, August 31, 2020. You can download…
Welcome to the Kind Leader Newsletter! As a Kind Leader Newsletter subscriber, each week you’ll receive information on the research that I’m doing and updates on interviews and insights that I’m having as I write my new book The Kind Leader: A Practical Guide to Leading with Kindness. You’ll also get a Practical Tip to use immediately and share with others. Because everyone can start leading with kindness right now! Tip #1: Being kind is…
My friend Matthew Grant shared the quote below that one of his long-term mentors had shared with him: “The secret to happiness is finding a way to be of service to others”. Last night, during The Love and Kindness Project Foundation’s annual general meeting (yes! We are one year old!) the Foundation Directors and I reflected on this, and on all the people who had reached out and asked to help,to be involved, to translate…
Today, a reminder to ‘Speak Kindly’! Always! Even if you don’t agree with the person’s idea, opinion, their political beliefs or their cause. We can disagree in a kind and open way, with a respectful tone of voice and non-argumentative posture. Whether you are at home or at work, on the frontlines or the leader of the organization, calling people names, inferring cultural stereotypes and using words to harm is never okay. Our words influence…
When I was growing up, I came to an important realization: there was always going to be someone ‘better’ than me. At anything. And everything. So there was no need to waste my time and energy trying to ‘be the best’, worrying when I wasn’t, and comparing myself to others. All I needed was to do MY best, in the kindest way possible. Reflecting back, I can see the unbelievable value of that realization on…
How do you define kindness? When I looked it up in the dictionary, it says kindness is ‘the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.’ When I ask people what kindness is, they often describe an act of kindness like holding the door for someone or paying for someone’s coffee in line. In order to create a kinder world, in which we treat all others as we’d like to be treated ourselves, we need to…
Do you know why I post about stuff that doesn’t work out the way I planned? Or that I struggle with? Like my tiny container garden not growing anything last year…and all the time I spend picking out seams I’ve sewn incorrectly…and the two years – and many different attempts – it took to get Women in Lean – Our Table going?! Because most things don’t work out the way you think they are going…
