Being Kind is your business super-power.
How do you Be Kind in Business? By applying the MAGIC formula:
Moving
Attuning
Giving
Inspiring
Connecting
It applies to:
Yourself
Your clients
Your team
Your prospects
Giving to Yourself
This whole idea of giving to yourself might seem selfish or frivolous, an unnecessary luxury.
However, business people need to give to themselves so that they remain effective.
We need to give ourselves:
– the necessary resources,
– time for recharging, and
– recreation and inspiration.
Eat, Sleep, Break
To flourish, we have to give ourselves permission to sleep enough. We require the right nutrition. We need to give ourselves adequate breaks.
Leadership and sales are taxing occupations. We need time for thinking and reflecting on our work.
If you are a creative, you need time to brainstorm, to dream, to come up with new ideas.
I was once told that you can always spot the Chief Executive. They are the ones with their feet up on the desk. Not resting, thinking.
Modern life takes its toll. To be effective, we need to be healthy, both mentally and physically.
Come Apart…
I love the saying “Come apart before you come apart”.
Do you take enough days off? Do you take proper holidays? We need to be intentional about time off in the always-on age. Give yourself permission to be switched off sometimes.
I once heard the now Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, talk about the “radical unavailability” of Jesus. Jesus, at the height of his ministry, used to take himself off and become unavailable for days at a time. He would recharge, reflect, and be all the more effective when he got back.
Soul Food
You need time to feed your soul. Time to inspire yourself, to relax, to feel good. Time to build your self up.
What hobbies are you engaged in? Hobbies that are not necessarily related to your work, but enable you to nurture another side of yourself.
Do you get to the theatre, watch films or good TV that lifts your spirits? Do you regularly escape into a good book?
A couple of decades ago, I read “The Artists Way” by Julia Cameron. One of the things that stuck with me from that book was the concept of an “artist’s date”, taking yourself off regularly for a treat. It might be going to a museum, a walk in nature, or cinema by yourself in the afternoon. One of my favourites is taking myself off to a posh hotel and having afternoon tea. Maybe you’d prefer a spa day? You get the idea.
If we’re giving all the time, we need time to recharge, to build our energy back, to bolster our self-worth.
Gold
The Golden Rule is, “Love your neighbour as yourself”.
If you’re not giving to yourself, then you won’t be in a position to give to your team, your prospects or your clients.
—
Download my free eBook “Be Kind to Yourself” and learn how to:
- Adapt to new ways of working
- Harness the power of habits
- Optimise the use of space in your home
- Use clothes to boost productivity
- Focus on what matters
- Plan for the future amidst uncertainty