Kindness is one of those things you’d expect to be more common than it is, ain’t it? It seems so easy - everyone knows how to be kind, but sometimes it takes just that little bit more energy to be amicable than not. We’ve all been there - you might have an off-day, your partner said something that irked you, or your favorite stonk tanked that day. That all said, it’s always worth the effort. Those extra 5 seconds to ask someone how they’re doing could be the difference between a good day and a bad day. Spending the extra effort to acknowledge something that impresses you or thanking someone can do so incredibly much that once you do, it’s impossible not to see how huge of an impact kindness can be. And it’s so easy, too.
When’s the last time you asked the cashier at your local store if she’s well, or cracked an easy joke to brighten their day? Just a moment’s kindness changes their day, and yours as well. Kindness is a two-way street - the more you give, the more you get. By no means does it benefit the recipient, but it makes the giver’s day all the brighter too.
It’s a shame to see but also way too common that kindness isn’t given a priority in all workplaces. In the corporate environment, everyone wants to be seen as strong, and identified as a leader. You’ve gotta be firm, show no weakness, and show no emotion, or so they say. More and more company leaders realize that strength is to be found in being compassionate, and thankfully we’re seeing this mentality getting adopted more and more, especially in newer companies today. Although a good chunk of industry giants are slower to adapt to this mentality (and trust us…we get plenty of reality checks with a few of the corporations we rock email marketing for).
Creating a kind office culture - why it is important
Step into any corporate office and what vibe do you get? Would you call it open and welcoming, oppressive, eerie, cheery, fun-loving, stressful? Close your eyes and take a moment to picture the scenario. What you see in office-centric TV shows - board rooms, cubicles, solitary individuals - is that what comes to mind? For the bulk of us, yeah, that is. But it doesn’t need to be, and I’m sure I speak for many when I say that this isn’t an environment that’s conducive to fresh ideas, collaboration, forward movement - all the things that every company dreams of having on a consistent basis. So why don’t we design the world around us to match what we want to achieve out of our organization?
Company culture is easily identifiable… it oozes through the environment - just watch how any two random people in an organization act toward each other, and it’s clear right away if they’re in a workplace that fosters positivity through kindness and openness, or if it’s a company that hasn’t set this priority at the top of the pile, where it rightly belongs.
Kindness and teamwork
Companies are founded on teamwork plain and simple. Look up the word “organization” in the dictionary and you’ll see that it’s a group of individuals banded together to make a product that’s greater than the sum of its whole. Those who fail to gather their team around them into a knitted whole will fail to move forward. Imagine a sailing ship - if that group of sailors don’t perform their tasks in time, the ship won’t be able to take advantage when the wind rises … and it will remain in the same spot. If the team stays stagnant during rough waters, they can sink faster than a brick.
Cultural diversity - we believe your company principles
can be the key to success
With the rise of the global economy, and the increased rapidity of its adoption since the advent of the internet, not even your grandparents can say that we don’t live in a truly global environment, “and ain’t it awesome” (your grandpa’s words, not mine). It’s almost comical to see that a huge chunk of the common approach to corporate culture came to life in the 1950s and is still with us today. I think I can speak for us all when I say that it’s about time we moved on and innovated for our own generation, and those to come. With the workforce knowing no borders, we’ve been gifted this truly amazing ability to not just work with people from around the globe, but learn to appreciate and love our differences, but also see that we have so incredibly much more in common than we’re ever led to believe.
The cultural diversity found in the modern workplace, especially those who are truly global, is one of the most rewarding things you can imagine. Here at CodeCrew, we’re all so fortunate in that we have the opportunity to know and cherish people from all around the world, with the most incredible backgrounds, lives, and passions. The more we come together in a positive and open work environment, the more we can learn to appreciate and respect each other and what makes each of us unique. With kindness and openness as the basis of our daily interactions, we not only have thriving relationships with our coworkers, but all find it legitimately fun to move the company forward, because we all have a common goal through it, and nothing but excitement to work together and make each day more impactful than the last.
Some of the ways we've created a kindness culture at CodeCrew
Here at CodeCrew we truly think that kindness is badass. In every situation you can choose how to treat a colleague -We see kindness and respect as going hand in hand. Client service too is based on this choice. Sometimes a client could make your stress level rise with demands, but responding with kindness takes the edge off and strengthens the relationship.
We see the definition of kindness as being friendly, considerate and generous. A great sense of humor doesn’t hurt either as it often can be an easy out if you find yourself in a stressful situation. A kind person is infinitely stronger of a person than a rude one, and that’s an unarguable fact. If you don’t believe me, just ask any philosopher throughout all of written history, or better yet, your loved ones.
It’s so easy to let your emotions get the best of you in tough situations, which is why showing kindness all year round is truly something that can help you grow hugely as a human being. So, how can you be kind in a stressful situation? First, breathe, but second, put yourself in the shoes of the person who’s the catalyst for your situation - how do they feel? More often than not, they need to feel heard, understood, and respected. So, show them empathy, and show them the kindness you wish you’d receive if you were in their position. Always remember: if you’re feeling under pressure, then so is the other person!
Now, talking specifics…give your best guess, who is likely to perform better, a team member that’s constantly being told he’s an employee, yet has a fairly good wage? One that’s not necessarily at the top of the wage chart but truly feels that he’s making a difference? Something else? While here at CodeCrew we proud ourselves on making sure that our entire team is able to live a good life and we review our salaries at least twice yearly if not more often than that (especially with the recent inflation spikes, yeesh…), we’ve found that the best way to get the most out of each individual is to make them believe that they are truly part of something great. The best way to achieve this is by giving them a voice, making sure that voice is always listened to and enabling them to succeed by making sure that they can actually galvanize change. In a sense, what we’re building here at CodeCrew is a team of leaders and we truly believe that this is the only way to be the best email marketing agency out there - by making sure everybody has the power to drive value.
This is also why we heavily rely on kindness when running our business. Does a client need something done fast that can make or break their whole business? We tend to be more lenient on rush fees and oftentimes have even ended up completely nixing them. Reaching out in kindness to clients always, yes always, pays dividends. In their business, In our business, and in our relationships.
We also rely on this key component when interviewing future employees, because we think that it’s the only way we can ever be successful - it’s by being kind to one another. And when we look for someone to fit our corporate culture, kindness counts for double points.
Reciprocity is felt not only among our team, but also between us and our clients. And as one act of kindness leads to another, guess what we are building? A better world.
Kindness as a core value
Finally, another really important reason why kindness is so crucial to us is connected to the fact that our core mission, right from the start, is to use business for the good. When we’re not rocking it as an agnostic agency and not answering the call to arms for Klaviyo experts , whether we’re running our initiative of planting two trees for each email we ever design and send, or providing our services for the two NGO’s we choose to help every year, kindness is the backbone of all of that.
We are mission-driven to do good in all our business activities. This is why we have joined Patagonia and other brands in donating 1% of our revenue to sustainable causes through One Percent For the Planet.
In addition to that, we provide pro bono help to some inspiring NGOs such as Mission Graduates. This non-profit helps children who otherwise would not be able to, to gain a college education.
Yes, we believe Kindness Counts.
