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Graham Allcott has written six books, including the global bestseller How to Be a Productivity Ninja. He is the founder of Think Productive and has privately coached prominent international business leaders. Whats the big idea? Kindness, empathy, and psychological safety at work are not just fluffy, hippie ideas. They are key drivers of outstanding performance. Kindness is a practice that requires strength, skill, and intentionality. With it, every team can create an environment of abundant wellbeing, innovation, and growth. Below, Graham shares five key insights from his new book, KIND: The Quiet Power of Kindness at Work. Listen to the audio versionread by Graham himselfin the Next Big Idea App. 1. Kindness and empathy build trust and psychological safety. High-performing teams are built on trust and psychological safety. Kindness is one of the fastest ways to build this high-performing environment. Trust allows people to take risks, admit mistakes, and remove micromanagement and other forms of due diligence. In a team, psychological safetyfeeling able to take interpersonal risksleads to high performance. When a team is psychologically safe, people raise the alarm if they spot a problem and share the risky idea that might drive innovation. They tell hard truths but are also more open to feedback for improvement. They feel seen, heard, and part of a bigger picture. All the research points to psychologically safe, people-driven business as being more successful. Psychological safety leads to greater productivity, engagement, retention, well-being, creativity, innovation, and happiness. Kindness and empathy arent just moral nice-to-haves. Theyre strategic advantages for building a culture of psychological safety where the work matters because the people doing it matter. 2. Nice and kind are not the same. Kindness often gets bad press, or people might even say theres no place for kindness at work. Kindness is often considered weak or a quality of pushovers. But this is because people confuse being kind with being nice. Nice often is a bit weaknice cultures often focus on keeping the peace but shirk the responsibility to tell the truth or call out bad behavior. On the other hand, kind cultures focus on truth and grace. Nice is about telling people what they want to hear. Kind is about telling people what they need to hear. Imagine youve been in a meeting, and a colleague delivered a presentation to the group. It didnt go well. At the end of the meeting, your colleague asks you for feedback. At this moment, we face a choice. The nice option is that we tell a white lie to keep the peace: it was good; you did well. We are shirking the truth to keep the peace. Kind is about telling people what they need to hear. The kind route would be to invest 20 minutes the following day to go through some quick feedback. We can offer difficult and uncomfortable truth, but from a place of love. The result is that they can learn and improve. It takes real strength to choose kind over nice in that moment. Its inconvenient (it takes time), its brave (because you have to put your relationship with that person at risk to help them improve), and its skillful (because delivering the truth with grace takes a skilled communicator). But when everybody operates like that, no one fears feedback, people grow, and the teams performance and work output continuously improves. Being too nice can be a weakness, but being kind is pretty badass. 3. Challenging the Business Baddie narrative. Kindness drives performance. It also lowers stress levels and improves physical well-being. And its free. So, why isnt there more kindness? Whats holding us back? If you look at portrayals of business and work in theatre, fiction, and media, what youll find everywhere is the business bastard archetype. Back to Shylock and Ebeneezer Scrooge, right through to Shark Tank and The Wolf of Wall Street, were taught that those who treat people badly are the ones who succeed. Upon reading the biography of Steve Jobs, I witnessed many founders thinking that if they shouted at staff during their all-hands meeting, theyd build the next Apple. In the book, I debunk the idea of dog-eat-dog success. The majority of successful leaders, statistically, are likable. But reasonable people doing a great job, being kind, and inspiring loyalty along the way produce less interesting stories than an evil genius. From Warren Buffett to Jacinda Ardern to Brian Chesky at Airbnb to the kind managers and leaders that you know, there are remarkable leaders whose warmth and kindness set the tone for success. The business bastard narrative keeps us locked into a scarcity mindset, whereas kindness rewires our brains toward abundance. We need to move away from the self-talk that says there isnt enough time, or there isnt enough, or that we are not enough. We need to replace that self-talk with talk of abundance: I am enough. There is enough. When we see the world through this lens, then kindness is much easier. 4. Kindness is a verb. A lot of what we see online regarding kindnessthe #be kind hashtag, social media memes, virtue signallingis people adopting kindness as part of their identity. Theres no such thing as a kind person or an unkind person. There are just kind or unkind actions. All of us have the capacity to be kind or unkind. Kindness isnt something you are, its something you do. You are as kind as your last kind act or as unkind as your last unkind act. When we see kindness as a verb, not a noun, we recognize the importance of seeing kindness as a practice. There are no prizes for just having the thought. Kindness happens in the gap between having the idea to make someones day and actually making someones day. There are no prizes for just having the thought. Its the action that counts. The more we see kindness as a practice, the more we spot the gap when it happens. Its that tiny moment when you spot an opportunity to be kind. Youre on a train, and someone needs your seat more than you do, or youre in a meeting, and theres a tiny window of time to say something kind about a colleague. Act in that moment, and you make their day. Ponder for a couple of seconds too long, and the agenda moves on, and the moment is gone. Learning to leap into that gap rather than be held back by our own resistance is kindness. To notice more opportunities, it helps to slow down. The biggest source of accidental unkindness is busyness. When we reduce busyness and increase presence, it increases empathy, and we build stronger relationships with thse around us. 5. Kindness starts with you but doesnt end with you. I created 8 Principles of Kindfulness at Work. The first of these is that kindness starts with you. When we think about kindness, often our first thought is external: who needs our help? How can we be kind to a stranger? But the uncomfortable truth is that we have to start with self-kindness. Most of us are wired to treat others better than we treat ourselves. We think of self-care as somehow self-indulgent. But practicing self-kindness signals to others that self-kindness matters, and they can follow your example. It also helps us move our self-talk away from scarcity and toward abundant thinking. For the kindness it inspires in others, being kind to yourself is a radical act of generosity. Kindness starts with you. The people who are kinder to themselves find it easier to be kind to others. But of course, kindness doesnt end with you. In the coffee shops of Naples, they have a tradition called caffé sospeso. It basically means suspended coffee and its a pay-it-forward model. Theres a jar on the counter of the coffee shop and when I order my coffee, I tell the barista that I also want to order a caffé sospeso. When I do that, the barista gives me a suspended coffee ticket and I put it in the jar. Then, the next time someone comes in and doesnt have their wallet or money, they take out the ticket and claim a free coffee. Its a wonderful example of the power of a single, kind act to create a ripple effect. I feel good and get that helpers high, the barista feels good about where they work, the customers who witness it are inspired to do something kind, and then someone claims it, and everyone gets to witness the act of kindness all over again. Theres a lot of research that talks about how many ripple effects can come from a single act of kindness. All the coffee shop owner really did was find a jar and write caffé sospeso on it! They literally created a vessel for kindness and, in doing so, made it easy to be kind. Thats kindfulness. The idea that we can create vessels for other people to be kind. We can, in our work, make it easy for other people to be kind. Whether its instigating a thank you card for someone, or taking a few moments in a team meeting to ask everyone to say something they value about the person to their left, we can all create the vessels for kindness. Think about your own work: whats the equivalent of that jar at the coffee shop? How can you be a vessel for kindness, and make it easy for everyone around you to be kind? This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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E-Commerce
Longtime Goya Foods president and CEO Robert Bob Unanue has published a bizarre press release about his recent departure from the company, leaving a lot of unanswered questions about what is happening behind the scenes at the Hispanic family-owned food and beverage company. Here’s what to know about Goya’s public drama. A vague press release reveals leadership in turmoil Unanue, who has led the Jersey City-based brand since 2004, said he’s unclear about his current employment status after being informed that the board voted him out. As Unanue’s self-published press release stated: “As to the nature of the decision and the rationale behind it, Unanue currently has no real answers, noting the company also has not publicly indicated that Unanue is no longer a leader of Goya Foods.” Unanue then took to X for a series of oddly worded posts, making seemingly unrelated statements including: “No board decision can shake my resolve. I remain fully committed to raising awareness, holding traffickers accountable, and ensuring a safer future for our nations children. Join me in this fight against one of the greatest evils of our time. GODS CHILDREN ARE NOT FOR SALE!” That post garned 140,000 likes, many from politically conservative accounts, while another post received 1.5 million views: “I recently received news that came as a big surprise. . . . While the decision has left many questions unanswered, one thing is certainI will not waver in my fight against child trafficking.” For some background, the company has a long history of charitable work, including its Goya Cares and Goya Gives programs. Goya Cares is dedicated to fighting and raising awareness about human and child trafficking, abuse, and online exploitation, and advocates for children’s mental health. Goya Gives is a corporate social-responsibility program that includes disaster relief and food donations. Goya Foods said its decision has nothing to do with charity work or politics. A recent decision regarding a change in leadership has absolutely no connection to politics, media appearances, nor has it impacted our vital work in protecting children and addressing food insecurity through our Goya Cares and Goya Gives initiatives, read a Goya Foods statement reported by CNN. Fast Company has reached out multiple times to both Goya Foods and Unanue for comment. A lawsuit airs a family’s dirty laundry The press release isn’t the only drama. Earlier this month, Goya board member and executive Francisco Frankie Unanue filed a lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court against Bob Unanue (his cousin), alleging that Bob engaged in a clandestine agreement with his friend Suvajit Basu, by hiring Basu to head up Goya’s IT department without telling the board. This hiring resulted in Basu mismanaging and damaging the IT functions, alleges the lawsuit, as reported by CNN. It then went on to allege that Bob Unanue tried to interfere with the company’s attempt to resolve the issue, while Bob deflected his own responsibility. It also alleges that Bob refused to participate in an important board meeting for an independent investigation into the matter. Goya Foods originally filed a lawsuit against Basu in October 2024; Frankie Unanue joined the case as a plaintiff on February 5. Any allegations against Mr. Unanue are frivolous, absurd, and have absolutely no merit whatsoever,” a representative for Bob Unanue told CNN. “The allegations are both a smokescreen and defamatory and will be addressed accordingly. Basu has since filed a counter complaint, alleging a hostile work environment citing his Indian heritage. Goya said in a statement to CNN that it denies all of the allegations in Basus counter claim and third-party complaint. Bob Unanue, a Trump supporter, has faced criticism in the past from fellow Latino leaders for supporting the president during his first term, even prompting a social media backlash that called people to #BoycottGoya. Last year, Unanue appeared in Houston to endorse Trump in the 2024 presidential race. Founded in 1936 by Spanish immigrants, Goya Foods is the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States and a source for authentic Latin cuisine, according to its website. Goya sells more than 2,500 food and beverage products, including such staples as beans, rice, seasonings, tortillas, olive oil, and olives, bearing the popular tagline, If its Goya, it has to be good.”
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E-Commerce
The U.S. lobster industry’s catch keeps sliding as fishermen contend with the northward migration of the valuable crustaceans. The industry is based mostly in Maine, where lobsters are both a cultural signifier and the backbone of the coastal economy. The state’s haul of lobsters has declined every year from 2021, when it was nearly 111 million pounds, to 2023, when it was less than 97 million pounds. That decline extended into 2024, when the haul was about 86.1 million pounds, according to data released by state regulators on Friday. That is the lowest figure in 15 years. A series of major storms that damaged waterfront communities and disrupted fisheries was a key factor in the reduced catch, officials said. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, praised the industry for its perseverance. During a year shaped by unprecedented storms and damage to our working waterfronts, Maines commercial fishermen, aquaculturists, and seafood dealers once again delivered a major economic benefit to our state, she said. Last years catch was still historically high, as Maine fishermen never exceeded 80 million pounds prior to 2009. Hauls in the 2000s were typically between 50 million and 80 million pounds. Hauls in the mid-2010s were routinely above 120 million pounds. The fishery remained economically strong in 2024. Maine fishermen took home more than $528 million at the docks, and that was the highest total since 2021, state officials said. Demand for the product, one of the most expensive seafoods, remained high, and the price per pound was one of the highest on record. The state is meeting the challenges of climate change head-on, said Patrick Keliher, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The governor has secured funding to “help rebuild damaged coastal infrastructure, make it more resilient to the effects of climate change, and protect critically important waterfront access for those who make a living on the water, he said. But numerous environmental and economic challenges threaten the industry’s future. One of the biggest is the decline in the number of baby lobsters settling off New England. The young lobsters have to take shelter and grow to legal size to sustain the future of the fishery. Scientists have said the lobster population is migrating north to cooler habitats as oceans warm. The Maine lobster industry is also linked to Canadas seafood industry and could be disrupted by new tariffs. Canadian fishermen harvest the same species of lobster as American fishermen, and much of the processing capacity for the seafood is in Canada. Tariffs are likely to increase prices on both sides of the border, members of the industry have said. Another major challenge is the possibility of new rules to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, which are vulnerable to entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Fishing groups have engaged in protracted court cases against the government over stricter fishing rules. Other states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, also have lobster fishing industries, but Maine’s is by far the largest, and the size of the Maine harvest gives a firm indication of the health of the American lobster industry at large. Maine accounted for about 78% of the country’s total lobster haul in 2023. Patrick Whittle, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
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