🏁 Axios Finish Line: Killers with humility

Compliments that land | Thursday, March 31, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Mar 31, 2022 Mar 31, 2022 Welcome back. Axios CEO Jim VandeHei is at the helm — hit him at jim@axios.com. Smart Brevity™ count: 498 words ... 2 minutes.     1 big thing: Killers with humility at work Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   We have a name at Axios for the ideal employee: killers with humility, Jim writes. The aspiration is to find wildly talented and ambitious people (killers) who put others and the company first (humility). Why it matters: A key and often under-appreciated ingredient of a killer with humility is extraordinary grace when things — or people — hit turbulence. Jay Timmons, who runs the National Association of Manufacturers, smartly pointed out the primacy of grace after reading our call to purge bad people from our lives. "Sometimes someone is going through something horrific of which colleagues and managers are not aware," he wrote. Here are some ways to practice amazing grace at work: 1) Assume positive intent. Usually, people don't do stupid things on purpose: Often they didn't have a key piece of information, or were focused on the wrong thing, or just did something dumb. This is a rerun for Finish Line regulars, but it changed our lives. We ask everyone at Axios to assume positive intent. It's very hard to do in the moment, but it's a game-changer for a workplace or a relationship. 2) Just ask. You never know what's going on in someone's life. Maybe they just got a horrible medical diagnosis, or had an awful bill come due, or had a relationship fall apart. If someone seems off or down, ask. 3) When shit happens, shine — and swarm. There is no better time to be a good person than when someone is suffering, be it sickness or mourning a death. Spring into action: send meals, flowers, prayers, offers of help. Too often we default to simply giving people space. 4) Words matter. In any given exchange, you can make someone feel good, or feel bad. It costs nothing more to make them feel good. This doesn't mean duck tough conversations. It simply means, in most circumstances, you can give someone a nice psychic jolt with a compliment or kind word. 5) Say it, don't write it. Texting is a terrible way to work through tension. Pick up the phone or pop on a Zoom. The big picture: Be quick to run from bad people who don't change, but even quicker to lift up good people who stumble. Share this story.     A message from Axios Recruit top talent with Axios     Axios now has job boards to recruit remote and local talent in the fastest growing cities in America. Reach smart professionals that visit Axios daily to make decisions about where to work, what to do and where to live. Post your job opening on Axios.     📝 Give compliments One of the most effective ways to drive up employee engagement: 88% of workers feel valued when they're recognized, reports Harvard Business Review. Here's how to give compliments that land, per HBR: Be authentic. Give details. Share the impact of their work on you and the company. Erica here. When I started at Axios, I was struck by how whenever Mike acknowledged my work, he cc'd my boss, my boss' boss and my boss' boss' boss on the email — a quick way to brighten my day and boost the compliment's power.   Thanks for reading. Invite your friends to sign up here. Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: