The Pair You Need on a Daily Basis
In the workplace there are a lot of tools you need to have in your toolkit to successfully navigate the territory. I’m not talking about the skills, knowledge and abilities you bring to the cubicle. I’m talking about two interpersonal characteristics that can take you far at the job.
Just like that power pair of shoes you always feel confident in, this pair helps to ensure job success. They are kindness and gratitude. As I have studied and observed in over 30 plus years of office work in corporate America, there are three primary reasons for unhappiness at the job. The sources are primarily people, processes and policies. But by far, the overwhelming source of work discord are issues between people.
We know the biggest indicator of happiness at the job is the relationship you have with your coworkers. Of all your colleagues, the relationship with your supervisor – the person you directly report to, is the most important. It’s pretty clear that if you don’t like your boss, or he or she does not like you, you probably won’t stay in that position for a long time. Or if you do, you won’t be very happy.
One of my regular blog readers mentioned an experience in her life when her boss suddenly died one weekend. It was a shock to everyone as he appeared to be in the best of health. She had a great relationship with him and was saddened about his passing both personally and professionally. The new manager assigned by the company was a jerk. He soon made it known that he didn’t appreciate her capabilities like her previous boss. After only a few months she decided to start looking for another job simply because of this relationship. When she resigned the human resources manager was shocked because he knew she was making lots of money and had been pretty happy for her previous 8 years at the company. During the exit interview she revealed the the relationship with her manager was the sole reason for her resignation.
Research has shown that showing kindness and gratitude for others has a huge, positive impact on social engagement. Therefore it seems reasonable that if you are consistent and genuine in being thankful for your job and your coworkers, while being kind in your interactions, you will gain great benefits. And if you’re not, well good employees won’t want to work for you for very long.
This info has been around for a very long time, as evidenced by a centuries old quote from Plato himself which reads, “a grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.” So long before the advent of Positive Psychology this phenomenal thinker had observed that people who are grateful tend to draw greatness to their lives.
Do the managers at your office reflect gratitude and kindness to draw greatness from their teams?
