She Treads Softly: KIND: The quiet power of kindness

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

KIND: The quiet power of kindness

KIND: The quiet power of kindness at work by Graham Allcott
1/21/25; 240 pages
Bloomsbury Publishing

KIND: The quiet power of kindness at work by Graham Allcott is a highly recommended self-help/leadership training book that focuses on creating a kind work culture. He turns to psychology and neuroscience along with management theory and business research to show how kindness helps encourage productive and positive work cultures.

The narrative is based on and written like a presentation or training seminar to help teach the information and principles shared. Graham Allcott offers practical advice on how leaders can make kindfulness part of the work environment. In the opening he shares the touching personal story of how his son Roscoe, who has autism, is developmentally delayed, and has some physical challenges, has taught him about kindness.

The information is presented in three parts.
Part One: The Case For Kindness takes a look at the science of kindness.
Part Two: The Three Myths of Kindness: The Evil Genius Myth, The Pushover Myth, and The Do-Gooder Myth
Part Three: The Eight Principles of Kindness at Work. These are: 1. Kindness starts with you; 2. Set clear expectations; 3. Listen deeply; 4. People first, work second. Always.; 5. Be humble; 6. Treat people the way THEY want to be treated; 7.Slow down; 8. It doesn't end with you.
Followed by Notes and an Index

Within the chapters, which are open with a pertinent quote, are stories of a kindful hero. At the end of each chapter there are reflection questions for you to work through. These are followed by a Kindness challenge, taken from his courses.

After encountering many people over the years who could benefit from this training, I'm doubtful it will ever reach the ears and be put into practice by many of those who need it. I realized inadvertently that I used some of the principles when I was in management, but I also observed more people around me who would never consider even thinking about the idea. There is also something to be said about everyone throughout any workplace and in all positions keeping these principles in mind. Graham Allcott has other resources you can find online.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.