Kindness isn’t just about being nice. Kindness isn’t soft. Kindness is about clarity. When we communicate with the people in our life and work are our conversations kind, clear and connected? The best teams communicate with clarity.
SHOW NOTES
0:51 – Jason shares a story about author Brene Brown that kind is clear. Kindness is about clarity. Are we willing and able, as leaders, to be kind and also clear with people on what is expected and what role we all play in creating that culture?
2:10 – Have you ever experienced or been on the other side of “road rage”? Jason shares a story about his commute that didn’t go as planned and resulted in a middle finger directed at him.
3:22 – Jason’s mother issues some kind criticism by saying, “Jason, I know you’re capable of more”. Exploring the nature of hidden meanings in how to communicate with others. A perfect example of what clear and honest and kind communication looks like, even if it is delivering harsh advice.
6:02 – Communication is key. The way we communicate with others is everything in our performance and the culture that we build around us. Many outside leaders are poor communicators. So what does it mean to communicate messages that are kind, caring, and clear?
7:06 – “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that its taken place” – George Bernard Shaw.
9:06 – Communication is about honoring the human element on the other end of the exchange to sit with them about clear communication and kindness. Is it kind to be clear and caring and makes us more effective. Don’t sugarcoat things but bring effective clarity and kindness to the message.
10:25 – Jason shares that there is more to kindness than our own internal dialogue about how effective we are as communicators. Kindness goes beyond the internal thoughts of, “I am kind because I am clear and to the point” there is more to it than that as Jason explains.
12:21 – The best leaders are the ones that ask important questions like, how can I be kind, caring, and understand the other points brought forth to me. This is well worth a listen.
13:01 – Jason talks about a major issue in the workplace today. Triangulation, what that means and how it works within an organization.
15:50 – Learn how you can defuse situations with employees and help shape your company culture for the better.
16:50 – Jason asks, “Is it possible for you or people within your company to act as mediators?” By teaching these methods within your company, you can help create a more effective organization that communicates clearly with kindness and caring.
17:20 – Why does this culture exist? Many leaders see this often and once understand how it exists, can work to improve it within their organization.
18:40 – You set the thermostat, that temperature. Communication is a two-way street. Our language needs to be clear but also kind, caring, and backed up with action.
19:33 – Jason asks, what is acceptable within your culture of how we communicate with each other? How are we committed to communicating together moving forward? What are our standards, our expectations for how we are going to communicate together?
Questions to ponder, step back and ask:
- What is the culture of communication within your team?
- What messages are needed to be communicated next?
- How do you keep those messages kind, and clear, and caring?
If you like the podcast, have a question, or just want to share your thoughts for about daring to begin please leave a comment below.
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ABOUT THE THERMOSTAT
Conversations and micro-thoughts to engage your mind and heart.
A thermostat is proactive. It sets the temperature in a room. Controls the temperature. Regulates the temperature. But in today’s distracted, fast-paced and digital world, it’s easy for individuals and organizations to act more like thermometers, slipping into reactionary thinking, becoming scattered and inconsistent. The most compelling leaders, teams, organizations, families or collection of humans of any kind operate in thermostat mode. They calibrate their mind and heart to set the temperature for the vision and culture they want to create. Jason Barger, globally celebrated author, keynote speaker and founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, is the host of The Thermostat, a podcast journey to discover authentic leadership, create compelling cultures and find clarity of mission, vision, and values.