Why Kindness Matters in Life AND in Business
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Read Time: 4 minutes
Kindness is the root of all strong relationships, personal and professional…or at least it should be. And kindness starts in the relationships we forge throughout our lifetimes.
Being kind should be natural.
In the relationships that matter to us most, we take care of each other, we support each other, and we always want what’s best for the other person. Being kind, or benevolent, means that good deeds are done for the benefit of others rather than your own personal gain or profit.
- It means taking a loss at someone else’s win.
- It means putting others first, and setting yourself aside.
- It means caring enough to listen - truly listen.
- It means acting with genuine compassion.
- It means understanding sympathy and practicing empathy because you’ve “been there.”
How does kindness in business pay off?
Businesses that differentiate themselves through kindness and giving back to communities are winning in today’s world. Why? Because people are naturally generous, and generosity is infectious. Consumers want to be associated with companies that are generous. This is especially true for those in the generation z and the millennial groups, who will only have increasing buying power in the coming years. Companies that display acts of generosity gain admiration, and vice versa, companies that act greedily in business get cut off. People don’t want to buy from companies they feel are ripping them off. And employees don’t want to work for those types of companies, either. It’s just not good business.
Building relationships and giving back to the community is important.
“People are Why” at IGS Energy and the IGS Family of Companies. They just are. Relationships always come first here, because people are at the core of everything we do and every decision we make.
IGS has always run on the belief that if you do the right thing in business, the money will come. “Good guys finish first,” is often heard from our Chief Sales Officer, Doug Austin. Doug’s been with the company for 27 of our 29 years, and has helped shape the culture here. He inspired the “relationship-first always” sales approach at IGS with his fair, honest, and humble method. And this philosophy has trickled down to our people in the way they interact with each other, with our customers, and with the community.
Not only will customers come, but your employees will stay.
Kindness is the main reasons why IGS Energy has been a Best Place to Work for multiple years – because it starts at the top with leaders like Doug. People genuinely love working for him, as well as the other leaders at IGS who follow his philosophy. Kindness is why, after 29 years, we are still steadfastly committed to helping consumers protect their budgets against potentially volatile energy markets. It’s why just this giving season, IGS Energy has committed to donating 10,000 brand new coats to kids in underserved communities across the country, and close to 3,000 meals to help end hunger and homelessness in Columbus, Ohio.
It’s why employees don’t dread Sunday nights or Monday mornings. And ultimately, it’s why our customers come back to us time and time again; they know we have their backs, that we care about their needs, and that we are committed to giving back to their communities through kindness and generosity.