I had a conversation today about the difference between "kindness" & "niceness" in leadership so I decided to post about it. The article & graphic explain why, as leaders, we should choose kindness over niceness. Kindness is about caring enough to push people toward greatness, even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s a harder path but better in the long run: learningandleadershipconsult…. By @emb928 Graphic: @thejustinmecham via @dangrimes1980

How many people does it take to change an organisation, system or culture? In his book "Change, How to Make Big Things Happen", @DamonCentola shows how change became inevitable when 25% of the people were on the side of making the shift - a “committed minority group” driving the change. But how do we get to 25%? Three strategies: 1) Use "non violent" change processes: where people can come into the change, make it their own, be part of a co-creative process & see/feel their stamp on the change. 2) Adopt the "Active, Sustained 3.5% Rule": a much smaller group actively engaged at the heart of the change, sustained over time. 3) Adopt the "Law of One Person and One Step": where we don’t need to train everybody, but instead, coach a small group of people to create a non-violent resistance to the old ways of working & bring new ways in. danielstillman.com/blog/mini…. By @dastillman

There's a growing understanding of the importance of empathy (the ability to understand, share & respond to emotions/perspectives of others) for leaders. For every competency that helps a leader become more empathetic you can draw a line that connects it with a better way of delivering results. @hacking_hr has produced a leader's "playbook" for empathy. It sets out: - 9 strategies to build trust and a people-centric culture through empathy - 7 ways to improve the experience of people at work through empathy - 10 key actions for empathy-driven success in leadership - 8 competencies of the empathetic leader - key insights on the power of cultivating empathetic leadership at work linkedin.com/pulse/leaders-p…. Via @HRCurator

Building a sense of belonging is an act of leadership. It creates the conditions for people around us to feel supported & valued & to thrive. Even small moments of connection or reflection can have a big impact on people's sense of belonging. @GeoffCohen, author of "Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides", suggests seven ways to build belonging for ourselves & others: 1) Reach out: small actions matter. 2) Don’t underestimate the benefits of connection: even little connections energise us. 3) Don’t be so quick to judge others: we tend to over-blame people (personality/ability/virtues) & under-blame situations & context. 4) Be welcoming at the beginning: we can improve retention by helping new people evoke their best self during the induction process, rather than trying to “break them in.” 5) Give wise criticism: give feedback in a way that helps people learn but isn’t threatening or undermining to their sense of belonging. 6) Share stories of adversity: stories of people who have gone before us help us to see our shared humanity. 7) Listen to other people’s perspectives: ask them questions about what’s standing in the way of their belonging & how we can help. greatergood.berkeley.edu/art…. I've paired this with my favourite graphic about (not) belonging that came via @mme_hopkins

An @NHSEngland report on "NHS Productivity" in May 2024 highlights the growing % of NHS staff who are new/inexperienced as a barrier to productivity & the need to get them up the learning curve faster. New research suggests one catalyst for learning that is often lacking at this critical early career stage: psychological safety (PS). PS is needed for people to learn, collaborate & perform at work. People lose their sense of PS when they start a new job & it can take years to recover. However, departments with high PS reduce that decline & facilitate recovery: hbr.org/2024/07/research-new…. By @DerrickBransby @MichaelaJune & @AmyCEdmondson.