By Chester Elton
Last Valentine’s Day, when Jimmy Fallon noticed that not a single member of his staff had received flowers, he ran out, emptied out a florist shop, and personally delivered a bouquet to each of the people who worked for him.
Fallon didn’t have to go to the effort, but he did. Why? Because that’s the kind of culture he wants to create on his team: one of kindness, gratitude, respect, and a little fun.
After almost two decades of researching what makes a workplace great, we’ve found that the quality and quantity of random acts of kindness says a lot about a leader, the values of their team, and how their people feel about coming in to work.
Harvard Business School has tracked the financial impact of such positivity in a study by John Kotter & James Heskett. Over an 11-year period, they found positive workplaces that were affirming to employees saw revenue growth almost six times greater than non-affirming cultures, and stock appreciation ten times greater. Building a great culture isn’t just a nice thing to do, it can be a great business practice.
Here are just a few ideas I’ve seen that can help build a more positive environment where you work.
- Find the time. At rental-car giant Avis, leaders have a wonderful practice of sending out a great customer service message at the start of every day about how their people “Try Harder.” Not only is that a great corporate practice but one manager at Avis takes it further by taking the time to send encouraging texts at the start of every day to his people. These little notes let his team know he is cheering for them and thinking about them. A simple random act of kindness that means a lot to his people.
- Watch for assists. A leader I met at a fast-driving investment firm decided to add “assisting team members” as a goal in employee performance reviews. He told me, “Universally, everyone expressed surprise at the notion that helping each other was worthy of inclusion on an appraisal. They actually fought it, and that told me a lot about the culture I had created. Our culture was about looking out for yourself and not your teammates. That had to change.” Assisting others can create a culture of teamwork.
- Random recognition. Invite everyone to come to your next weekly meeting thinking of someone they appreciate—someone preferably working behind the scenes who normally doesn’t get a lot of thanks. Then randomly at ask an employee whom they appreciate, and then present the appreciated person with an award. It can be a simple as a certificate or a gift card to a local restaurant. Give your people the chance to highlight some else on the team. You will find that all week people will be looking for the chance to make someone else’s day.
- Use your own products. When employees truly love the products or services they provide, it shows. At the Atlantis Resort at Paradise Island in the Bahamas, I found employees regularly receive hotel stays and perks like getting to swim with the dolphins. Besides making them feel valued, it allows employees to experience resort benefits from the customer’s perspective, helping them to better serve their clients. What employee perks could you offer that would allow your people to use your products?
- Serve your community. A bank we visited in Utah has a paint-a-thon, where employees clean, repair, and paint the exterior of low-income homes in disrepair. The manager’s investment is minimal (paint, brushes, and food for the volunteers) but the impact on employee energy-levels, bank image, and the community is significant. When we serve together we create better relationships at work. A more service oriented culture.
These are just a few samples of random acts of kindness I’ve seen. I hope they work for you; or at least help you come up with some great ideas of your own. When done right, random acts of kindness not only make people feel appreciated, they will make them feel great about where they work and who they work for.
No one ever regrets being kind. By the way, works at home too.
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