Reflections on Kindness in Business

I am writing on the plane, with about 3 more hours remaining from my 14 hour flight from Atlanta to Seoul. The days leading to a trip are always hectic for me, as I try to advance in work and take care of items at home and pack. This time was no different and I ended up going to bed at 2.30 a.m. the day of my flight. This is my second time flying to Asia with Delta, and I must say I am really liking them. They are very professional and friendly on the ground and the flight attendants are also friendly. With one small gesture: offering a choice of 4 complimentary snacks, and giving me doubles of what I chose, they pleasantly surprised me.  

Finally relaxed, I slept for the rest of the flight. As we arrived in Atlanta and walked out to passport control, something immediately struck out. “Hello, welcome to Atlanta!”, said the first airport staff I met on the way -smile and eyes beaming- on a Friday at 6:00 p.m. The choruses of “Hellos, Welcome to Atlanta!” repeated all the way to immigration. Warm and sincere, I really felt welcome and relaxed at this airport, a place that is usually cold and rushed and where people are usually each minding their own business. I thought to myself, “what an amazing difference a smile and a sincere welcome can make on a place and on somebody’s trip.” To such extent that I am here writing about it. 

I thought about southern hospitality. Having spent four years living in Arkansas while in college, I experienced first-hand the beauty of southern friendliness and hospitality, from everyone greeting each other on the streets, to the kindness of my roommate from Alabama who made the most amazing sun-kissed iced-tea, to the barbecues at Dr. Carter’s, where Mrs. Carter would make the most delicious pulled barbecue sandwiches and the most amazing pies. All of these memories were brought back to my mind from this positive experience at the airport. 

I passed through immigration and I arrived at a very crowded lounge where I would wait for about 5 hours for my next flight. One of the lounge employees noticed I was trying to locate an empty seat, and he came to me and offered me a seat at a special section of the lounge, he offered me something to drink, made his personal recommendations on the food and dessert. There was a group of us lucky passengers in this special section, where the service was great and where Kenny and his colleagues made us feel welcome and well taken care of. Kenny even took some time to chat. I personally think it is nice and I appreciate it when people open up and talk, it is a basic condition of our humanity to share, converse. In an ever fast world even real conversation in now rare and unappreciated.  

So in short, those hours in Atlanta got me reflecting on kindness. Here are four thoughts on kindness in business and how it can contribute to build our brand: 

1.    Kindness speaks of values and ethics

     -Kindness is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate.”. Other definitions speak of being helpful and caring.  These are reflections of values that are worth pursuing and that will attract others that share them.  Simple things that go a long way, like a smile, a greeting, showing gratitude and asking about something or someone with genuine care. 

2. We are drawn to kindness, so are our employees, our suppliers and our customers

    -Business is based on human connection and interaction.  We naturally are drawn              to a place of kindness, generosity and consideration. 

3.    Kindness sparks conversation

-  Conversation = valuable feedback that  can be used to make our business grow. 

4.  Kindness strengthens connections, builds trust and will motivate people to share their experience (referrals) 

Kindness: Let it always be sincere and straightforward. Here’s an invitation to consider making it a part of your brand’s attributes. 

Would love to read your thoughts or experiences with kindness and business and branding.