06/04/2024
We all have memories of former, or even current, coworkers that were great to work with.
What things do these great coworkers have in common? And can you say you portray the same characteristics in the workplace.
We spend so much of our tine at work, it means that life will happen to us in the workplace. Things will break and go wrong, we will make mistakes, or have to correct the mistakes of others. We can take a pass from our personal life either so we may be impacted in the workplace by grief, anger, frustration, lack of sleep, depression and anxiety.
The great coworkers we have all met and worked with, experience all of the same factors I listed above but somehow the conduct themselves in a way that creates positive relationships with those around them.
To me there are any number of great attributes great coworkers bring. But to me three are key. Kindness, Honesty, and Listening.
Kindness.
Kindness can be any act no matter how small, a smile or kind greeting, generosity, friendly behaviour, or just a hello.
The thing about kindness is that it makes both you and others happy, you don’t know how much happiness your small act of kindness can bring to their lives, but kindness at the right time can change lives.
Imagine the change in your workplace, if every person did each act with kindness. Even it it was a tough task or delivering bad news, doing it with kindness will be remembered in the long run.
Honesty.
Dishonesty can be the greatest destructive force in a workplace. So acting with honesty is truly valued by colleagues. Admitting and asking for help when you need it. Telling someone you see them as an expert and take on their opinion or advice. Give credit for the assistance that others provide to you, especially if leadership don’t know about it.
Listening.
Listening to understand and not just listening so you can respond is an attribute we all should try hard to display.
To me this is the key skill that underpins all the posts I do on mentally safe workplaces, workplace flexibility and leadership. Genuinely listening to people and meeting them wherever they are at. When it comes to mental health the reason that colleagues can often find support and care from an Individual coworker but not from a workplace well-being program is that the coworker listens and tailors their response to the needs of the person talking to them. Coworkers tend to be better at this than managers as they react genuinely after listening not work to a program.
If you listen to someone, acknowledge what they are going through and ask how you can help, it is a pretty good script to help in any tough situation.
