As new parents, we wanted to instill an important life lesson in our children.  From a very young age, we often asked them the same question repeatedly: “What is the most important thing to remember?” Their answer was simple: “Be nice.”

Over time, however, my children – wise beyond their years despite their youth – taught me a profound truth.  The answer should have been “Be kind.”   I wholeheartedly agreed and am grateful for that lesson.  Their insight serves as a reminder that children, no matter their age, can teach us valuable lessons if we’re willing to listen for the purpose of understanding.

The significance of kindness has been recognized for centuries, as reflected in the timeless wisdom of the Talmud: “The highest form of wisdom is kindness.”

Kindness is more important than ever in today’s world because it promotes understanding and empathy, both essential to establishing and enhancing personal connections in this time of increasing division and isolation.  In this world filled with negativity and conflict, kindness acts as a beacon of hope, an important reminder of our shared humanity and the power of mercy and compassion.

Why does kindness matter?

• Kindness can strengthen communities by creating a sense of belonging.  It fosters trust which is essential to bridging divides to create a more harmonious society.
• Acts of kindness have been shown to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and boost mood. A frequent response to an act of kindness is often gratitude – from and for all parties.  It may increase satisfaction and even evoke feelings of happiness.
• Kindness is contagious and can inspire others.  When we witness acts of kindness, it inspires us to be kinder ourselves.  Acts of kindness can create a ripple effect of positivity.
• In a world filled with negativity, kindness offers a powerful antidote to negativity, meanness, and selfishness.   It is the best way to counteract hate, intolerance, and bullying.
• Start early and never stop teaching kindness.  Lead by example.  Our future depends upon it.  Children who are taught to value kindness should become a generation of compassionate and empathetic individuals who will work to create a more just and equitable world.
• Don’t abandon adults who weren’t taught kindness or have forgotten.  Educate and encourage them to be kind.
• Regardless of who you’re teaching, take the initiative, show kindness, be patient and nonjudgmental.  Regardless of how the other party responds, try not to be defensive, preachy, or argumentative.

My father was a physician and insisted that I, at age 12, start working in his office during summer breaks.  I also worked as a teen in a pathologist’s office. Every day I witnessed kindness and compassion in his office and at the hospital across the street where I ate lunch.  Those two characteristics are why I’m still working in the healthcare industry and though there is much to improve, I love it.

In healthcare, kindness matters.  Why?

• Kindness and compassion can help alleviate anxiety in patients and their families. People, particularly when they’re sick or vulnerable, feel a loss of control when they enter a healthcare facility even if they work in the industry.  Kindness impacts perceptions and can help foster trust and loyalty.  It can help reduce anxiety and mitigate the loss of control.
• When you treat them with kindness, patients and families are more likely to follow their care plan.
• People treated empathetically and with kindness are generally more transparent when communicating with their caregivers.
• Kindness can trigger positive emotions in patients and families which may help speed up recovery, lower stress, and enable patients to tolerate pain more effectively.
• Kindness impacts healthcare teams allowing them to function more effectively. High functioning teams can improve operations.  Empathy and mutual respect amplified by kindness can strengthen the bonds between team members.  It can also impact multidisciplinary team interactions.  Individual and team actions inspired by kindness are more likely to improve the 3 C’s – communication, coordination, and collaboration.  Hopefully, those actions will boost morale, add to job satisfaction, reduce turnover, stress, and burnout which are at historic levels.  Think back to the effects that kindness had during COVID when people were celebrating healthcare workers.  Caregivers, often referred to as “Healthcare Heroes”, were treated with kindness and gratitude for working so diligently and selflessly under incredibly difficult circumstances.

“In healthcare where human connection is as vital as clinical expertise, kindness is more than just a nice-to-have – it’s a must-have” is a brilliant quote.  According to Google, it is attributed to Penelope Campling, a medical psychotherapist who is a leading advocate for the concept of ‘intelligent kindness’ in healthcare.”

Perhaps it would be useful for teams in every industry to convene to talk about practical and pragmatic tips for incorporating kindness into their operations.  Just the act of coming together for the singular purpose of discussing kindness will have an impact.  Enumerating the actions of kindness will encourage the team and its members to adopt the behaviors they identify.  As a starter, I’d suggest you begin with this tip: “Prioritize taking care of yourself to improve your own well-being, and to build a reservoir of strength that can be a source of kindness for others.”  If nothing else, identifying acts of kindness will remind people of what’s important and create a standard of behavior we should all strive, not just aspire, to meet or exceed.

Though important for healthcare, kindness should be the cornerstone of every industry.  We must commit to respectful, civil discourse, and empathy – start by trying to understand each other, and embrace kindness not just as a solution to current challenges but as a way of being, a way of life.  Let’s focus on the benefits to ourselves and society as a whole when we choose to care deeply for one another.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

“Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the figure of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt