When was the last time you saw kindness drive performance? Too often, kindness is overlooked, dismissed or denigrated as “too soft” in leadership conversations. This article by one of our favourite academics and authors, the leading global expert on psychological safety, Harvard Business School Professor Dr. Amy Edmondson and her colleagues, reframes kindness as a core business priority, something to be measured, embedded and expected. Edmondson and her co-authors Nicki Macklin and Dr. Thomas Lee, argue that kindness is not about being agreeable or avoiding discomfort. True kindness is about doing the hard things well, such as giving feedback with care, setting clear expectations and building the kind of environment where your talent feels safe, supported and heard.
In an era where talent retention, employee engagement and organisational reputation are more vital than ever, the role of kindness emerges as a strategic imperative. Far from being a soft skill or mere nicety, kindness is a hard skill that underpins organisational resilience, collaboration, trust and customer satisfaction. The evidence is compelling: neglecting kindness can lead to high employee turnover, absenteeism, eroded trust, poor communication and dissatisfied customers. Conversely, workplaces that embed kindness into their culture enjoy stronger relationships, higher engagement and improved performance.
Understanding Kindness: Not Just Niceness
It is crucial to distinguish kindness from niceness. Niceness often involves avoiding discomfort to maintain harmony, at times sacrificing authenticity or avoiding difficult conversations. Kindness, on the other hand, is intentionally proactive. It involves making deliberate, observable decisions and actions aimed at supporting others’ growth, wellbeing and success. For leaders, this means embracing hard conversations, giving honest feedback and creating conditions where wellbeing and respect are non-negotiable.
The Power of Kindness to Build Psychological Safety and Social Capital
When practiced consistently, kindness nurtures psychological safety, a foundation where team members feel secure enough to voice ideas, ask for help and admit mistakes without fear. It also builds social capital, strengthening the network of trust and shared norms that enable teams to collaborate effectively. Leaders who demonstrate kindness create environments where diversity of thought is valued, innovation flourishes and people are motivated to contribute their best.
The Cost of Insufficient Kindness
The absence of kindness can have tangible, profound impacts, with research indicating that incivility and insufficient kindness leads to increased absenteeism, diminished effort, poor collaboration and weakened organisational safety. Witnessing unkind behaviour can impair creativity and decision-making. Over time, tolerating low-level rudeness erodes trust and cohesion, risking organisational health and reputation. In healthcare for example, poor communication diminishes trust; in other sectors, similar dynamics see customer experiences suffer and employees leave.
Leadership as the Catalyst for Cultural Change
Creating a culture rooted in kindness begins at the top. Leaders must model kindness visibly and tangibly, especially during tense moments when true character is tested. Leaders should create systems and processes that embed kindness such as structured feedback cycles, clear expectations, and recognition of kind behaviours. Annual review processes that encourage deliberate reflection, goal setting for personal growth and two-way feedback are clear examples of how structured mechanisms that reinforce kindness and respect can be integral to organisational excellence.
Embedding Kindness into Everyday Management
Beyond senior leaders, the authors argue kindness must be a core management discipline. Managers are responsible for operationalising kindness through explicit expectations, behavioural standards and accountability. Organisations must teach and measure kindness just as they do safety or quality. Clear expectations include respectful communication, active listening, regular feedback and accountability for unkind conduct. They provide examples from training and development initiatives across industries, such as SAP’s autism-friendly management programs or Ritz-Carlton’s standards and the manner in which they exemplify how to operationalise kindness norms across diverse settings.
Measuring and Reinforcing Kindness
To sustain a culture of kindness, Edmondson and her co-authors posit organisations must measure it with behavioural indicators and team experiences. Existing surveys on psychological safety, inclusion and trust are proxies for kindness and can be adapted to monitor progress. Benchmarking data can further help organisations to identify gaps, reinforce positive behaviours and foster accountability.
Leaders must reject the notion that kindness is optional or unrelated to performance. It should be elevated to a strategic priority, integrated into Board reports, leadership development, performance conversations and organisational systems. Building a culture of kindness enhances employee retention, customer loyalty and innovative collaboration.
As leaders, it is worth asking ourselves the following questions regarding our personal leadership shadow and what actions could embed kindness at the team and organisational level:
Kindness is no longer a soft skill but a strategic lever that directly influences organisational effectiveness. Transforming your leadership and culture to prioritise kindness can yield long-term benefits such as improved engagement, stronger relationships, innovation and resilience. The question is not whether kindness matters but whether you are willing to lead with it as a core driver of sustained success.
Kindness is not the opposite of high standards; it is exactly what helps your talent reach them.
If you agree, we encourage you to consider the one specific behaviour you can you start modelling today to reinforce kindness as part of your leadership?
https://hbr.org/2025/07/why-kindness-isnt-a-nice-to-have?ab=HP-hero-latest-1
