In a former job of mine, a colleague was asked to leave from their job with immediate effect. They had misappropriated company’s funds, thus, the leaders decided to let go of him.
The conversation happened one evening, and that was his last day.
Even though an ouster was much needed, I remember something else from that day.
My manager, who was also that colleague’s manager, was the one who dropped my colleague to his home that night. He felt it was not right to abandon the colleague, and this much is something we could certainly do to him.
I often think of this act of kindness as a gold standard of kindness.
It made me understand kindness is not a function of someone’s work or who the other person is. Kindness is a lifestyle, a way of being for yourself. You can take necessary and harsh steps, and still be kind.
My colleague had lost the job. But my manager had not lost humanity.