While I was born in Calgary Alberta, Canada, my first memories are of the Isle of Skye in Scotland. For most of my youth and adult life, it has been a consistent dream to return there and discover what I can of the place where the sea and sky meet. Last week I finally stood in the highlands of Skye once more, remembering the small town of Sconcer where I lived and also of getting lost, much to my mothers despair, in the Cullin Hills (think of a smaller but no less formidable set of North America’s Rocky Mtns).
On the third day of our stay, my girlfriend and I discovered a wonderful bakery, proclaimed to be the oldest on the island. The couple who owned the bakery kept us entertained with stories and Scottish pies, while a neighborhood cat share a table with us. Upon leaving, two free brownies were placed into our hands with cheerful farewells. More then the beautiful landscape and the amazing stone castles, this act of kindness made me feel as if I had truly come home. 30 minutes later, however, we discovered that I had left my passport and wallet at the bakery by mistake. I immediately turned the car around and drove quickly North back to the end of the island. When I entered the bakery for the 2nd time I was greeted with happy cries and hugs. They had phoned the police they were so worried that I might not return for my passport. Their genuine caring and friendly hearts were the best part of our Scottish trip.
So the next time you meet a traveler from a distant land, make sure to greet him or her with a smile and if possible a small act of kindness. You might just be bringing them home.
A culture of kindness keeps employees coming back…
Can your company catch a boomerang? If it can, it will open itself to an incredible source of skilled and trustworthy employees. Boomerang employees – a phrase coined by workplace experts after the Australian, Aboriginal hunting tool – are returning top performers and high achievers who left the workplace to advance careers, increase wages or pursue independent work.
The challenge in today’s shifting marketplace is retaining talent. However, there is an increasing stream of employees who are coming back to the workplace because of the benefits of working for their former employer. If the fit is right for the employee to return, there are substantial reciprocal benefits.
Workplace researchers have found that returning employees bring new skills, insights and perspectives developed during the in-between period. This includes having an intimate knowledge of the culture, market vertical and business operations. The increased value may also be found in the employees’ enhanced problem solving and creative abilities. There is also a direct financial benefit to hiring boomerang employees: the cost of hiring, recruiting and training new employees, is substantial. Hiring a Boomerang employee eliminates the majority of this cost.
How can a company ensure they attract boomerang employees? Organizations can build an unforgettable culture emphasizing positive relationships, balance, leadership and kindness. Corporate social responsibility and internal culture are increasingly values that attract and retain employees. When these values are extended to co-workers, customers, and the community, employees develop a deep connection and bond with the organization.
The Kindness Crew specializes in building healthy, connected and productive workplaces that are certain to attract boomerang employees and other top performers. Their presentation, the Kindness Injection delivers the four basic steps to building a culture of kindness. The Kindness Crew has worked with a range of organizations, including Investors Group, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, SAS, Columbia Sportswear, University of British Columbia and Tourism BC. If you are interested in having the Kindness Crew speak at your next workshop or keynote please contact the National Speakers Bureau.
In this fantastic sequel to the international bestseller The Greatness Guide, Robin Sharma shares insights and tools on leadership and personal success. The reader will receive uncommon advice including Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Ask to Get, Fail Faster, Be a Cool Brand and Live an Intense Life.
101 simple yet powerful lessons that will help you work effectively and live with passion.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is found on page 119,
“Find ways to connect. With the people you work with. With the loved ones you live with. And with the strangers with whom you share this journey called life.”
I strongly recommend this book and reading a page a day. Focus on incorporating one Greatness Guide step into your day. IT WORKS! Thats my B-rad Activity for this week, HAVE FUN!
Yes! According to Harvard educator, Tal Ben-Shahar. Dr. Shahar has done something I thought to be impossible and many academics probably thought absurd to teach a course on happiness! The course has become the most popular class at the ivy-league school, highlighting an overwhelming need to teach people how to live well.
Dr. Shahar is part of an ever-growing body of researchers, scientists and professionals, who are moving away from asking the question of what makes us sick and replacing this with what make a person happy? The movement is grounded in the new research of positive psychology which is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.
One of the more remarkable books I devoured in the past year was his book Happier.
In this easy to read to guide of the new science of positive psychology, he explores the research illuminating how a person can increase their happiness. One topic addressed is how cultivating feelings of being kind can help a person feel better.
Tal walks the reader through an exercise called, Meditating on Benevolence. Without even needing to go out and connect with someone, you can reflect on a time when you acted with kindness towards another. He asks you to remember how you felt appreciated for this kind act. Next, you visualize what the person’s response was. Also, you can focus on your own feelings during this exchange and allow them to fill you. As you bring into your awareness both your own positive feelings and the person served you can dissolve the division between helper and the person being helped. By doing this you begin to realize in every exchange of love both people are able to experience more positive feelings. Finally, you can imagine future acts of generosity in the future and feel the benefits spilling over to everyone.
This simple exercise can help you to experience a greater sense of calm, connection and happiness. In practicing this meditation, I am reminded again, Happiness comes from within.
In this video, a broad overview of the work being done by Tal is given.
