Benevolence is about having good intentions towards other living beings, including yourself.
In these times of stress and conflict, a little benevolence can go a long way.
‘Leadership goodness’ has been the focus of much research, not least because of changes in leadership roles and environmental challenges (Ciulla, 1995; Sanderset al., 2002; Doh and Stumpf, 2005; Whittington et al., 2005; Brown and Trevino, 2006;Maak and Pless, 2006; Bass and Bass, 2008).
Traditional leadership models need to be improved to meet these challenges. Could benevolent leadership be a way forward?
Benevolent leadership is about encouraging and initiating positive change in organizations through ethical decision making, creating a sense of meaning, inspiring hope and courage for positive action, and leaving a positive impact for the larger community (Habermas, 2001; Daly and Cobb, 1989; Bryson and Crosby, 1992; Karakas and Sarigollu, 2012).
Through benevolent leadership, leaders can become more effective and approachable, and achieve more favourable employee outcomes (Niu et al., 2009).
Benevolence is more than just a nice notion, it can improve business performance.
Studies have shown that companies that put an emphasis on encouraging trust, understanding, and mutual respect between people perform better.
Benevolence creates honest and harmonious relationships, and where people feel valued, respected, and listened to, they want to do better.
Benevolent leadership and healthy profits can co-exist.
So how could you be benevolent at work?
In challenging situations, like a difficult conversation with an employee, remaining patient, and kind can be difficult, but being benevolent could mean:
- Asking yourself how you can express compassion and kindness.
- Thinking about the other person’s welfare.
- Looking past their words or behaviour to see what might be worrying them.
- Being kind in thought, word, and deed.
At all other times, benevolence can mean:
- Offering encouragement and saying thank you for a job well done.
- Being present in conversations.
- Making people feel seen and heard
How will you be benevolent today?