Being kind is fine and all, but my one gripe with it is that it doesn’t make me any money. Glad to see the dark days of being nice without any ROI are ending.
Being kind is not always necessary, but being respectful goes a long way.
People (especially the type who participate in this forum) frequently equate kindness with weakness. I really get sick of that attitude. It's not an "either/or" thing. It's entirely possible to be kind, and also to have strong boundaries, and real mettle.
Respect is something that is usually (not always) appreciated; even by our enemies.
Cops are often quite respectful to you, as they slap on the bracelets.
> but my one gripe with it is that it doesn’t make me any money.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. These are exactly the types of things that are almost impossible to measure, except in a rather vague way (i.e. "Six months after we started our personalized letter campaign, our sales increased by 30%").
One of the endlessly frustrating things about modern capitalism is knowing that if I don't monetize my kindness, there are usually two people profiting: one who monetizes my kindness instead, and one who learns to simulate it.
Both of those people are almost certainly assholes.
It's not psychologically healthy to change my behavior as a result, or to dwell on the above, but the fact that my psychologically healthy behaviors are trivially exploited for someone else's monetary gain seems like a major flaw in the system.
Being kind is a cultural trait that we have been selected for, over generations, to increase our chances of survival and also ROI. There is nothing gratuitous about it once you understand where humans come from.
Those handwritten notes take people. People who want a job and will work hard.
At 1st Phorm everyone* writes notes that go with orders. Many people start as note writers and then move to other departments as they work alongside people and form relationships. Those people see the hard work that goes on and really get to the mission and purpose each and every day.
Sure, you can’t charge for the note. But hiring and building up a company who cares for your customers in small ways means hiring for other positions is easy: you’ve got the people right here.
Edit: everyone* who can. Obviously remote folks can’t do this…
Being kind is not always necessary, but being respectful goes a long way.
People (especially the type who participate in this forum) frequently equate kindness with weakness. I really get sick of that attitude. It's not an "either/or" thing. It's entirely possible to be kind, and also to have strong boundaries, and real mettle.
Respect is something that is usually (not always) appreciated; even by our enemies.
Cops are often quite respectful to you, as they slap on the bracelets.
> but my one gripe with it is that it doesn’t make me any money.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. These are exactly the types of things that are almost impossible to measure, except in a rather vague way (i.e. "Six months after we started our personalized letter campaign, our sales increased by 30%").