This weekend  we are asked to perform Random Acts of Kindness. When I was planning for this blog, I thought first I would start with a definition, so I asked my friend Wikipedia and found the following:

A random act of kindness is a non-premeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside world.

Cool.

Then I thought about random acts of kindness I’ve seen over the years at Velsoft. Every day here people are giving compliments, saying thank you to people for things they do, encouraging people to pursue their dreams, and buying small gifts for people — just because. And there was the time Dave decided one day that he would organize an Appreciation Day for Michael. He raced around decorating the office and sent a couple of us to get food and a cake. It turned out fantastically. I’m sure if Michael hadn’t been on vacation, he would have loved it!

As I thought more, though, I realized the idea of Random Acts of Kindness Day (Sunday, Feb. 17) is to do random acts of kindness. In my research I found an example of someone who sent around a paper listing the names of people at their workplace and asking what they appreciated most about each of these people. So, I decided to do this at the New Glasgow Velsoft campus.

I then gave each employee the comments their co-workers had made about them (without identifying the authors’ identities). Here is a sample of the results:

Jim
  • His commitment to ensure his employees are happy.
  • Strong work ethic and desire to expand professionally. His core value of family.
Kevin
  • His kind nature and mentorship/leadership for the employees.
  • Story telling and stat’s questions; organizational leadership and collaborative approach to work. Kindness and sincerity.
Jan
  • Her willingness to help guide and teach other employees.
  • Love of travel and willingness to share her adventures. Happy and spirited.
Ben
  • Desire to expand his knowledge and experience. Kind, honest and caring nature.
  • His eagerness to continue to learn.
Carol
  • Her need for always having a positive outlook.
  • Love of books, literature and writing. Kind, genuine and sincere person.
Dylan
  • His willingness to tackle anything put in front of him.
  • Creative style and generous spirit.
Sydney
  • Never shies away from a challenge.
  • Green thumb; computer savvy and excellent baking skills. Sweet and soft demeanor.
Sandra
  • I love how honest she is. It makes for a healthy work environment.
  • Organizational skills; hearty laugh and sense of fun. Kind, supportive and helpful.
Brandon
  • His great attitude and ability to talk out any problem he’s experiencing.
  • Has a healthy outlook on work and life balance. Happy and relaxed personality.
Ian
  • He’s very smart and knows our system. He’s a great help and leader.
  • Dry sense of humor and love of dogs. His computer savvy and creative initiatives.
Jimmy
  • His attention to detail.
  • His calm and quiet demeanor.
Cindy
  • Cindy is very kind. She’s a great role model to anyone who knows her.
  • Her concern for office morale.
Michael
  • Michael is very honest, and it helps when you need a straight answer.
  • Compassionate and committed to all aspects of his life. Creative and innovative thinker.
Dave
  • Dave is a great mentor and leader and we would be lost without him.
  • Supportive, kind and funny. Ability to teach and share knowledge and experience. Genuine and caring.
Scott
  • Scott is kind and always willing to help out when he can.
  • His sense of humor and thoughtfulness. Sense of sales leadership excellence.
Alicia
  • Alicia is new but I love her determination to make a difference. She is kind and thoughtful.
  • Her willingness to listen.

What’s in the Pipeline

  • Carol is updating older courses, and editing custom projects.
  • Dylan is creating graphics for custom and internal customers.
  • Ben is working on custom projects.
  • Jan is working on CA course components and eLearning QA.
  • Sydney is creating custom eLearning courses and working on custom projects.

Course Count

Courses released this month:

Fostering Innovation

Online Tools for Small Business

Here is the official count of courses for both courseware and eLearning:

Computer SoftSkills Total Courses
Courseware 289 178 467
eLearning 941 177 1118

 

Random Acts of Kindness Ideas

If you’re looking for some ideas:

  • Help at a veterinarian’s office
  • Insert coins into someone’s parking meter
  • Buy a movie ticket for the person behind you
  • Hold open the doors for people
  • Leave money for Dave on his desk
  • Shovel a neighbor’s driveway when it snows
  • Learn to say hello in a different language to different people
  • Bring in donuts for your co-workers
  • Pay for someone’s morning coffee

From Natural Beach Living Blog