Give Grace & Space
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Extending some grace and giving space.
Things are pretty weird and hard right now in the world. Unfortunately that’s just the reality many people are moving through. Work doesn’t automatically become separate from the rest of people’s lives. People don’t shut off the world when they open their laptops or walk into the office.
It feels like an important moment to pause and acknowledge that.
“Most people are showing up to work with a lot going on in the background. Those things don’t magically turn off when we all come to work”
Everyone has some stressful tabs running in the background.
Most people are showing up to work with a lot going on in the background. Those things don’t magically turn off when we all come to work. News, family stuff, financial stress, health worries, burnout, uncertainty. All of that is running along in the background while meetings happen and emails get sent.
That doesn’t mean standards should disappear or all work stops mattering. However, it does mean that a little extra space and grace makes a difference right now. Having compassion isn’t about lowering the bar, it’s about having more awareness and understanding for the context people are operating in.
Kindness is in your control.
“You can choose at any and every moment to be a little nicer, a little more patient, and a little more gentle in how you show up, respond, and treat others.”
One of the few things fully in our control is how we treat people around us. Our words, our tone, our behavior, our energy. The choices you make around those things matter, often way more than we realize.
A reality of workplaces is that you won’t be best friends with everyone you work with. It’s true for everyone that throughout your career you will cross paths with people that you just don’t get along with that well.
And even though that’s true, you can choose at any and every moment to be a little nicer, a little more patient, and a little more gentle in how you show up, respond, and treat others. Even people that you don’t really enjoy being around very much.
Start with yourself.
It’s also important to remember that this isn’t just about how you treat others — it’s also about how you treat yourself.
“When the world feels heavy, that can show up for each of us in different ways.”
When the world feels heavy, that can show up for each of us in different ways. One common way it shows up is to give us all a little shorter fuse, less patience, and can make us quicker to become frustrated about whoknowswhat and everything else.
Checking in with yourself and recognizing those signals can go a long way in keeping you grounded and help you respond more intentionally instead of reacting automatically.
Being aware and giving yourself some grace makes it easier to extend it to others.
We’re in the same storm.
“When you extend kindness to others, it gets on you too.”
Everyone is navigating the same storm, even if we’re all in different boats. Making sure the people around you are okay, or at least doing what you can to avoid adding to their stress is a net positive.
Choosing kindness, gentleness, and intention is simple to do. It’s practical. It’s something you have power over and can do immediately in big and small ways with real impact.
Be kind. Be gentle. Be intentional. We’re all in this together. When you extend kindness to others, it gets on you too.
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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