Post by John Counihan

Kindness and leadership are not often heard in the same sentence but I'm a long time believer that they most definitely should be. To quote Henry James: "Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind." In a recent article on Forbes, new research suggests that for almost 70% of people, their manager has more impact on their mental health than their therapist or their doctor—and it’s equal to the impact of their partner. It rings true for me. Consider how you show up at home after a difficult encounter with your manager. Our relationship with our manager is a key relationship in our life. If you’re a leader, you’re right to find this data sobering. Who, before you read this, ever truly considered their impact on their team's mental health? It's a big responsibility. Our teams are not just resources at our disposal but complex human beings dealing with all the slings and arrows that life throws at them. Our role as leaders is to acknowledge our team as people firstly! That's not to say of course that in leading through kindness we can't challenge performance and navigate choppy waters, of course not. We just do so respectfully, tactfully, compassionately, consistently and with clarity. Love to hear your thoughts on this.