Earlier this year, I introduced the first three of eight leadership lessons which have resonated with me over a nearly thirty-year professional career. Today, I’m sharing:
Leadership Principle Four:
Lead with kindness, not fear!
I hope this principle resonates with you and proves valuable in your journey.
In 1978, researchers at Ohio State University conducted a simple experiment with rabbits to explore the link between a high-cholesterol diet and heart disease. To the research team’s surprise, one group of rabbits showed the expected strong correlation between a fat-rich diet and heart disease, while another group of similarly fed and bred rabbits showed 60% less fat build up in their arteries. What could explain the difference?
The only notable variance was the behavior of one of the lab researchers. The lab researcher responsible for the rabbits which showed substantially less arterial buildup was unusually kind and caring. She didn’t just feed the rabbits. She cuddled them, stroked them, talked and connected with them. When the experiment was repeated, this time controlling purposefully for this “kindness variable,” the results were the same.
In her book, The Rabbit Effect, Dr. Kelli Harding explores the broader implications of this study. She highlights the compelling evidence that love, kindness, connection and community profoundly influence our health –often more than anything that happens in a doctor’s office.
If receiving kindness from others can help us age better and live healthier lives, it stands to reason that those who receive kindness from their leaders in the workplace will perform better. This has been my experience! Reflecting on the greatest leaders I have encountered, the ones I would follow through fire were those that led me with kindness and respect.
These leaders did not compromise on results and accountability. They set high expectations and demanded excellence. They shared both the positive and especially the constructive feedback I needed to hear. But they always shared the difficult feedback with respect and kindness. The best leaders shared these difficult messages with a unique skill rooted in genuine care for me and my future!
A good friend of mine, Lonnie Mayne, creator of the Red Shoes Living philosophy has said “an employee will give their all for a leader who sees the potential in them, holds them accountable to it, and also treats them with kindness and respect.” Lonnie also cherishes advice shared with him by his grandmother, Avalanche Blanche who said: “Treat those that have more than you as equals, and those who have less as kings and queens.”
Both The Rabbit Effect and the wisdom of grandmother Blanche remind us of a fundamental truth: kindness has transformative power. It can make us better leaders, and more importantly, help us create a better world.
