We at MGI Learning wholeheartedly support Mental Health Awareness Week which takes place this week, 18 – 24 May 2020. In our organisational development work across many sectors and in many countries, we see the impact of mental health and how important this is to overall wellbeing, happiness and success. This year the focus for Mental Health Awareness Week is kindness, something that is at the heart of our belief at MGI.
Our founding principle is that “Everything you think, feel, say and do, is either a service or a disservice to yourself and everyone around you” (Mary Gober). Promoting kindness fundamentally underpins this principle. Being kind to ourselves and others through what we think and feel, and being kind to others by what we say and do, is a foundation for care, which is so important in the current Coronavirus pandemic situation.
Each time we act with kindness, living out this quote – a service to ourselves… It feels good to be kind and to believe your kind actions will make a positive difference, not only to the person with whom you’re interacting but also to influence corporate or social culture. Kindness, empathy and cooperation are differentiating characteristics of human beings, and contribute to healthy and progressive mindsets.
The Kindness Mindset
What we think and feel relates to our mindset – what our attitude is and what our beliefs are. To be kind to others requires a mindset of making a difference, where we make the effort to take action to demonstrate kindness through what we say to others and what we do. If our mindset is fundamentally positive and optimistic it is much more likely that what we say and do will be positive and optimistic – and also kind.
Kindness grows from a thoughtful mind and deliberate action and if there is enough of it, it becomes a habit. The true value of kindness is in its consistency and its ability to convey a person’s high quality as a human being and their high professionalism as an employee. In organisations, this contributes hugely to cultivating a High Trust Culture where respect is vital. Kindness is a seed – plant a lot of kindnesses and see what happens to your experience of the world and the experience of your employees.
By cultivating a positive optimistic mindset where we look for what we can be grateful for, what is possible, how we can help, what we can do, rather than what is bad or disappointing about any situation or what is not possible. This ultimately means that what we say and do is much more likely to be considerate, collaborative and ultimately kind.
Go well, stay safe and be kind!
