It's Easter (at least on the Gregorian calendar) and, this weekend, Christians all over the world celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus and the profound impact those events had and are still having today. At the heart of that Christian message is the grace of Jesus Christ who deliberately went to an excruciating, humiliating, undeserved execution on a cross and then rose from the dead three days later to give those who trust him life and a restored relationship with God which they do not deserve. 

What that might mean for you is for another conversation* but it's worth noting that grace has a connected and wider meaning in the Christian lexicon - the powerful and abundant kindness and generosity of God which caused him to show such undeserved kindness to a broken world. But the practice of grace is not just for Easter or just for Christians. Practising grace looks like intentionally showing above and beyond kindness in our work and businesses as an unexpected way to move towards our key Outcomes. 

I worked with a world leading organisation last year to clarify a new strategic direction and initiatives and, as part of that process, I worked with them to develop clear vision and values. They came up with five values and one of those values was kindness. 

I can see some of you roll your eyes...kindness, really?! How fuzzy! How unimportant to the bottom line! How do you even measure the impact of increased kindness in an organisation? Well, for one thing, the client identified that generosity and kindness were key drivers of the continuous innovation and discovery which drives their core operating model. They could pinpoint where a lack of generosity and kindness had led to silos, friction and decreased engagement, with organisational performance suffering as a result. 

As a result of these insights, they were able to deliver greater pay equity and to develop a clearer system of support and development which increased retention. They were also able to grow their leadership team significantly and to develop new income streams.

I can also see the powerful impact of grace at work as I coach teams and individual clients struggling with tricky relational dynamics which are holding them, their teams or their businesses back. As we work together, clients have a chance to step back and examine those tricky dynamics with fresh curiosity, and curiosity is an act of grace which leads to more effective resolutions and to improved results.

What does showing more grace at work look like for you? As you approach this Easter weekend, perhaps there's someone at work to whom you could show more grace by giving them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there's someone at work to whom you could show more grace by letting go of a past issue or mistrust which has muddied the water in your work or business. I'm not suggesting that you be gullible or naive but that sometimes a simple act of grace is powerful enough to give you more clarity at work. 

A couple of questions you could ask yourself this weekend and over the next week, "To whom can I show more grace at work?" and "What would that grace look like and feel like for them and for me?" 

As always, let me know your thoughts and how you are applying this at work - I'd love to know what grace at work looks like for you. Next up, a brief, seasonal message...