KIND

KIND Plot Summary

Introduction

"I think you'll have a good career, but there's something that I think you'd do well to learn that would make you even more successful. Can I tell you what it is?" These were the words of Christopher Spence CBE, founder of HIV/AIDS charity London Lighthouse and then chief executive of Volunteering England, to a young and nervous Graham Allcott. What followed was a profound insight that would shape Allcott's entire career: the power of truly listening and making others feel valued. "You don't look people in the eye enough," Spence observed. "People need to know that you're paying them attention. They need to know you think they matter." This intimate moment encapsulates what makes kindness such a revolutionary force in our professional lives. In a world obsessed with metrics, deadlines, and bottom lines, kindness often gets dismissed as "fluffy" or "weak." But what if kindness is actually the secret ingredient to sustainable success? What if treating people with dignity, empathy, and respect isn't just the right thing to do morally, but also drives better business outcomes? Throughout these pages, we'll explore how kindness builds psychological safety, increases innovation, boosts productivity, and creates the conditions for teams to thrive. You'll discover that kindness isn't just nice to have—it's a business imperative with the power to transform organizations from the inside out.

Chapter 1: The Science of Kindness: How Empathy Drives Performance

When I delivered a keynote to a large investment bank in Rome in 2019, I was asked what had helped me build a global business from scratch. My answer was simple: "Kindness fuels everything. If you're kind and people trust each other, then you win. It's as simple as that." To my surprise, this statement created immediate division in the room. Some audience members pushed back hard: "No way! Business is all about competition!" "The ruthless always succeed!" They pointed to figures like Steve Jobs and Donald Trump as evidence that "kindness is surely for losers." What these skeptics didn't understand is that kindness creates a powerful biochemical response. Studies consistently show that our brains release "feel-good" chemicals when we are kind. We receive a rush of oxytocin (the "love hormone"), which improves empathy and trust. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle—increased empathy helps us see more opportunities for kindness. Kindness also boosts dopamine levels, our "reward chemical" that drives motivation and purpose. Even more remarkably, kind acts lower cortisol (the stress hormone) by 23%, making kind people less stressed and more productive. These biochemical responses don't just benefit the giver. The University of British Columbia found that people on the receiving end of kindness reported significant increases in positive mood, improved satisfaction in relationships, and decreased tendency toward social avoidance after just one month. Even witnesses to kind acts experience the "Mother Teresa Effect"—named after a study where simply watching Mother Teresa perform acts of kindness increased participants' salivary immunoglobin A (an important immune system marker) for up to an hour afterward. Beyond these health benefits, kindness creates a culture that drives results. A study at Coca-Cola's Madrid headquarters found that when people received kind acts, they reported higher levels of well-being and more positive attitudes toward their jobs. They experienced heightened camaraderie with colleagues and felt more connected and trusting. Perhaps most importantly, this ripple effect extended beyond the immediate participants—everyone in the office reported higher levels of job satisfaction, more confidence, and fewer symptoms of depression. Through kindness, empathy, and trust, we create psychological safety—the belief that one won't be punished for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. Google's extensive two-year study cited psychological safety as the number one dynamic that sets high-performing teams apart—four times more significant than individual performance, structure, clarity, or meaning. When people feel safe to take interpersonal risks, they become more productive, creative, and innovative. Decision quality and critical thinking improve, and people become more engaged and loyal. This quiet power of kindness may not make dramatic headlines like stories of business villains who get ahead, but the science is clear: more kindness equals more success. Kindness isn't just a nice-to-have soft skill—it's the foundation of high-performing organizations where people can bring their full selves and do their best work.

Chapter 2: Dismantling Myths: Why 'Business Bastards' Fail Long-Term

Elizabeth Holmes was once the golden child of Silicon Valley. As the young founder of Theranos, her vision to revolutionize blood testing with a single pinprick captivated investors and media alike. But behind the carefully crafted image of black turtlenecks and piercing eyes lurked a toxic culture. In 2008, employee Justin Maxwell resigned with a damning email: "I wish I could say better things, but I think you know exactly what is going on at Theranos... Lying is a disgusting habit, and it flows through the conversations here like it's our own currency." Holmes emulated Steve Jobs not just in her clothing choices, but in creating a confrontational workplace where teams were pitted against each other and employees lived in fear. As journalist John Carreyrou wrote in his exposé Bad Blood, "Would-be whistleblowers were threatened with lawsuits. Criticism of leadership or practices was unwelcome. Those who pushed back were usually either fired or marginalized—they had an expression, which was to 'disappear' someone." Holmes was eventually convicted of fraud in 2022, her house of cards collapsing spectacularly. The Holmes saga exemplifies the enduring myth of the "business bastard"—the idea that ruthlessness and self-interest are prerequisites for success. From Gordon Gekko's "greed is good" to The Wolf of Wall Street, media and fiction love this archetype of the successful mogul who wins at all costs. We assume there's a direct correlation between unkindness and success—that the bastards rise to the top because they're willing to do what others won't. But successful entrepreneurs tell a different story. Duncan Bannatyne, who built a £100m+ fortune from scratch, says: "I'm immensely proud to say that I've achieved everything without being ruthless. You don't need to be ruthless in business." Nick Jenkins, founder of Moonpig.com, echoes this sentiment: "I think you can still force people to question their own business model without having to be brutal about it." The "business bastard" narrative also rests on the assumption that life is inherently "dog eat dog." Even Adam Smith, the father of capitalism, rejected this idea. While he's often quoted for saying, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest," he also wrote in The Theory of Moral Sentiments: "To feel much for others and little for ourselves, to restrain our selfish and to indulge our benevolent affections constitutes the perfection of human nature." A Harvard Business Review study of over 51,000 leaders found a direct correlation between likeability and effectiveness. Just 27 leaders who were in the bottom quartile for likeability were in the top quartile for effectiveness—meaning you have about a one in 2,000 chance of being a successful leader if you're unkind. Unkind leaders achieved lower engagement, lower effort, and higher turnover from their staff. What we're seeing is a profound misunderstanding about the nature of business success. Correlation isn't causation—just because Trump boasted about being ruthless doesn't mean that characteristic was responsible for his success. Often, it's not ruthlessness but vision, creativity, or problem-solving that drives achievement. The "business bastard" makes a more compelling character in movies and novels, but in real business, kindness with clear boundaries and high standards proves far more effective at building sustainable success.

Chapter 3: Kindness Starts with You: The Self-Kindness Imperative

"There's a culture of over-work. This past year, my organization has grown very quickly but has also experienced massive budget cuts. Our boss is new in the job. He's tried to signal that well-being is important, but everyone from the team has felt so much pressure and they see him burning himself out, so he's not doing the self-kindness thing." This confession from a senior leader in an overseas development organization illustrates how leaders unintentionally create cultures of stress and fear through their own behavior. When leaders fail to practice self-kindness, it creates devastating ripple effects. First, they deny others their kindness because they simply don't see opportunities to be kind when stressed or busy. Second, they make it harder for everyone else to be kinder to themselves and others by feeding a negative culture. There's nothing heroic about running ourselves into the ground, yet many leaders pride themselves on their exhaustion and sacrifice. Part of the problem lies in our "Lizard Brain"—the amygdala that drives our fight-or-flight response. It screams fear-talk at us: "I can't let my team down," "We need to hit our targets," "If I lose this job, I'll never get another one." Or it sends guilt-trips: "I'm not working as hard as they are," "I'm letting my boss/client/team/myself down." These narratives feel logical but come from a place of scarcity rather than abundance. Our personal relationship with money and success often feeds these destructive patterns. Economist Peter Koenig's work shows how our early money narratives shape our beliefs. For many, childhood experiences create powerful "scarcity and security" frameworks that drive unhealthy behaviors. If you believe you need more money to feel secure (or free or successful), that belief will persist regardless of your actual financial situation. As you earn more, your brain simply moves the goalposts so your scarcity narrative remains intact. Similarly, Alain de Botton's work on "status anxiety" explores how we constantly compare ourselves to people most similar to ourselves, feeding our sense of competition and inadequacy. We feel jealous when friends become successful because we see their success as highlighting our own failure. The secret to prioritizing self-care is dismantling these arbitrary, moving targets and learning to feel successful with what you already have. Overcoming self-criticism requires recognizing the "cognitive distortions" that feed negative self-talk. These include mind-reading (assuming others' thoughts without evidence), over-generalizing ("this ALWAYS happens to me"), magnification (taking one flaw and making it bigger), and black-and-white thinking (seeing things in extremes with no nuance). By identifying these patterns, we can challenge them and replace them with more balanced perspectives. Denise Nurse exemplifies the balance of ambition and self-kindness. As a lawyer, TV presenter, and entrepreneur who sold her successful law firm and now leads the Black Founders Hub, she knows the importance of managing her mindset: "Great leaders who practice the art of being kind to themselves have the ability to be kind to others. If you are running yourself to the ground, if you are not saying very nice things to yourself, it's hard to offer kindness to others truly, because it will come from a not-good place." Whether we're comfortable with it or not, kindness starts with us. By transforming our self-talk and making time for self-kindness, we develop the sense of abundance and empathy that allows us to be kinder to everyone around us. This isn't indulgent—it's the foundation for creating the kind of world we want to live in.

Chapter 4: Creating Clear Expectations: Truth and Grace in Leadership

Setting clear expectations is the difference between a "kind" working culture and merely a "nice" one. There will always be times when someone doesn't quite hit the mark, and we can only deal with them kindly if there's a shared understanding of what's lacking and how to fix it. Great leaders bring clarity through what I call the Framework of Expectation: three Vs that set the bar and tone—Vision, Values, and Value. Vision gives us the "why" of an organization—the North Star that guides our decisions. When President John F. Kennedy famously asked a NASA cleaner why he was working so late, the man replied, "Well, Mister President, I'm helping to put a man on the moon." This legendary response illustrates how powerful purpose can be in motivating people. Great vision statements like Amazon's "to be earth's most customer-centric company" or Oxfam's "a just world without poverty" orient teams toward the right decisions when they're stuck. Values provide the "how" of an organization—the compass that helps navigate problems with a greater sense of identity. Google's "Ten things we know to be true" includes principles like "You can make money without doing evil" and "There's always more information out there." These mantras help ensure future employees learn from what came before and operate consistently. As Jonathan Austin, founder of Best Companies, told me: "So many people have brand values, but they don't describe the behavior they're looking for within colleagues... If you describe the behavior that you're looking for and definitely what you're not looking for, that gives people a framework." Value addresses the measurable contribution expected from each team member. Whether it's a cleaning schedule for NASA's custodian or sales targets for a salesperson, knowing one's specific role in advancing the mission brings clarity and better teamwork. In Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, Verne Harnish emphasizes how high-growth companies maintain a tight grip on key metrics, with daily, rigorous focus on what matters most. While organizational frameworks are important, often the most effective leaders create their own personal mantras that articulate expectations clearly. Timpson, one of the UK's most successful retailers, uses the motto "Look smart and put the money in the till"—a humorous way of conveying that high customer care standards and honesty are what matter most. At Think Productive, Managing Director Elena Kerrigan introduced "Work smart, break hard, leave on time," beautifully articulating two priorities: working efficiently while maintaining healthy work-life balance. Fiona Dawe CBE created an award-winning culture at Youthnet, the UK charity sector's first tech startup, by combining clear expectations with compassion: "We're human beings. And if we're treated well, we think better. And then we behave better." But this doesn't mean being soft: "It's not fair, on everybody in the organization, if some people are taking the mickey and getting away with it. Then everybody goes, 'well, the leadership is shit'. So that's the other side of being a kind leader. You have to absolutely call out anything that's not OK." The most important tool for maintaining expectations is kindful feedback. In his book The Practice, Seth Godin describes the creative process as defined by the phrase "Here. I made this." Creating anything inherently places us in a vulnerable position, asking for reactions to our work. Good feedback focuses on "benevolent critique," as Sarah Stein Greenberg of Stanford's d.school explains: "We want to be hard on the work, but soft on the people... It's like when you are critiquing student's work, you want to separate the person from the work they have produced." When delivering uncomfortable feedback, remember Christina Kisley's definition of kindness as a mixture of "truth and grace." The truth is important—it's the commitment to another person's growth and to making the work better. And grace matters too—being kind, recognizing no one likes bad news, and understanding that humans rarely fall short on purpose. The Salted Caramel Test helps distinguish "nice" from "kind": kindness, like salted caramel, combines the sweet grace of compassion with the salty truth of what people need to hear to improve.

Chapter 5: Deep Listening: The Ultimate Act of Workplace Kindness

"You don't look people in the eye enough," Christopher Spence told the young Graham Allcott during a meeting. "People need to know that you're paying them attention. They need to know you think they matter." As Spence leaned forward with deeply focused attention, he added: "As I'm talking to you right now, there is nothing else on my mind. I'm totally focused on this conversation. When you learn to do that, people will really listen to you." This intimate lesson about connection and presence became one of the most influential moments in Allcott's career. One of the kindest things you can do for another person is to listen deeply and wholeheartedly. It's about being interested not just in what's being said, but in how it's said and what remains unspoken. The most precious resource we have isn't time—it's our full attention. Attention fuels deep relationships, and when we give someone our fullest attention, it becomes extremely powerful. People notice the quality of your listening, and if you listen deeply, you not only discover things that create change but also set the tone for your entire organization. Psychologist Carl Rogers coined the term "active listening," where you work harder as a listener than you would as a speaker. This conveys that you are interested in the person and that their feelings matter to you. Rogers writes, "While it is most difficult to convince someone that you respect him by telling him so, you are much more likely to get this message across by really behaving that way—by actually having and demonstrating respect for this person. Listening does this most effectively." Active listening is not the same as "waiting to speak." When merely waiting our turn, we remain stuck in our own narratives. Watch out for phrases like "That happened to me too" (which starts a competition for the better story) or "That reminds me of a time..." (suggesting your experiences are more interesting than the speaker's). Good listening acknowledges the feelings behind the words and offers questions only to further understanding, not to offer solutions. Rachel Forde, CEO of creative media agency UM London, has used deep listening to drive both cultural change and business growth: "When you look at some of the leaders recently who have been successful or not, then it really is all about kindness. In the past, kindness was very much seen as a soft skill, but these days, people understand that it builds empathy, trust and loyalty." Under her leadership, UM has seen impressive annual revenue growth of 30%, while simultaneously halving the company's gender pay gap and transitioning the board from 85% male to achieving a 50:50 male/female split. Forde created a Leadership Council—one layer down from the board—as an open-agenda forum to listen to staff. This has spawned several "squads" focused on different diversity dimensions: "We have lots of different communities—listening communities. It can't be a tick-box thing, it has to start with 'How do you want to talk about this?' and asking people 'How do you want to engage?'." But Rachel also uses listening to drive growth: "We have practical ones like Speed Squad, which looks at questions like 'How can we speed things up?', 'How can we get rid of stuff that isn't important?'" During the pandemic, Forde briefly closed the entire business so everyone could rest and recuperate. She also gave every employee, regardless of position, three hours of coaching: "It was about saying, 'Look, it's been a really stressful time. Have some time out.' And with the coaching, we were saying, 'These hours are for you, to talk about work, home, whatever it is.' And we knew some people might decide 'Actually, we don't want to work in media anymore,' but it's about being brave enough to know that what you ultimately want is a happy and engaged workforce. If you use this people-first lens, then the results just follow." The hardest conversations are often those that deepen relationships or bring about profound shifts, yet these are the ones we frequently avoid. When someone is in a highly emotional state, your listening skills become like holding a crying baby—you provide a container for their emotions, helping them move from discomfort to feeling soothed. Being a good listener is itself a kind act, but it takes vulnerability because as we enter the space to listen, we must be willing to be changed by what we hear.

Chapter 6: People First, Work Second: Building Trust When Crisis Hits

"People First, Work Second. Always." This mantra originated from watching Jamie Oliver's documentary series about his social enterprise restaurant, Fifteen. In one pivotal scene, a trainee arrived for work in tears after a fight with her partner. Rather than expecting her to soldier on in a busy kitchen, Oliver spent time with her, gave her a hug, and sent her home. Though this meant being short-staffed during service, his instinct was that a pressured day in a hot kitchen wasn't best for her mental health—and might cause more problems in the kitchen too. The idea behind this philosophy is simple: no matter how busy you are or how many demands your customers place on you, people always come first when you get "the call." We all know what "the call" means—the death of a close relative, a serious accident, a scary diagnosis, or being stranded after a canceled flight. When these moments happen, the person's needs take priority, regardless of the consequences for the organization. The "Always" in this mantra is crucial. It means no exceptions—no matter how busy you are or how much you think you need that person on that day. And it often comes with sacrifice. Saying "take as long as you need" commits you to finding workarounds and perhaps taking on extra work yourself. But what I've learned over years is that despite initial stress, you do figure it out. Your team rallies. And the impact of this approach on loyalty and trust is immeasurable. Emily Chang, CEO of McCann World Group in Shanghai, embodies this philosophy beautifully. Her book, The Spare Room, tells the story of opening her home to a homeless girl she saw by the roadside—something she's now done for 17 young people. This personal commitment to kindness extends to her leadership style. When one of her direct reports had relocated from the US to Shanghai without his family, Emily noticed he was struggling. Without telling him, she found budget for him to visit home and for his family to visit him. She even had her children help create a "Welcome Home" banner to surprise him with the news. Emily's approach was shaped by her own experience with her former boss, Kenneth McPherson: "I'd been trying so hard to adopt this little boy and it had taken all of my energy outside of work. One day Kenneth asked to see me in his office and when I arrived, he was there with the head of HR. He passed a paper across the table that said, 'IHG Group would like to help you with adoption fees.' That single act of kindness stayed with me because it was so personal and beyond the call of duty for a CEO. This builds deep loyalty and affinity. If Kenneth called me, I would drop everything and do whatever he needed." This philosophy extends beyond crisis management to everyday dignity in the workplace. Colin Bennett from the English Football League Trust shared how simple moments of connection can have huge impact: "I had a ropey end to the year and reluctantly joined a full organization virtual meeting. A couple of colleagues said, 'Brilliant, Colin is here, I am so pleased to see you.' My mood lifted instantly and I felt welcomed, wanted and needed." Some might worry this approach could be abused, but in my experience, that's extremely rare. Across everyone I've worked with, there's been only one incident where someone took advantage without reciprocating. That person was under-performing anyway and not particularly engaged. I'll happily accept occasional over-leniency as the price for a kind culture that puts people first—the benefits for team morale, engagement and performance far outweigh the costs. Ultimately, "People First, Work Second. Always" comes back to the notion of operating from abundance rather than scarcity: if you want people to trust you, start by trusting them. If you want to create a culture where people feel valued, start by valuing them as people. And if you want people to take their work seriously, take their lives seriously in return.

Chapter 7: Humility in Action: Being the Spotlight, Not the Star

NK Chaudhary is the founder of Jaipur Rugs, one of India's leading exporters of hand-woven rugs. Founded in 1978, it's now a multi-million-dollar operation with 40,000 weavers serving customers in 40 countries. What makes Chaudhary unique is his approach to business: kindness and humility are central to everything he does. Often called "The Gandhi of Business," his philosophy is simple: "Let goodness, fairness, and most importantly, love prevail in business—profits will inevitably follow." Chaudhary started his business against his parents' wishes, turning down a steady bank job to work with nine weavers. In India's caste system, weaving was considered an occupation for "untouchables," and most weavers were exploited by middlemen. Women worked in sweatshop conditions, far from their families, for low wages. Chaudhary's revolutionary idea was to challenge this system by creating dignity and good working conditions for his employees. Rather than requiring weavers to work full-time shifts miles from home, he implemented a decentralized model focused on the weavers' needs. He invested in more looms and distributed them to the villages and homes where his employees lived. By putting trust in his employees—to maintain the looms, work flexibly, train others, and contribute creative ideas—he created an artisan-focused approach that remains at the heart of Jaipur Rugs' success. Despite the company's size, Chaudhary still takes time to listen to the weavers: "If my weavers are happy, they will do good work. Good work is good for business." Genuine humility is a magnetic trait that gets results. A study from the Journal of Positive Psychology found a correlation between humility and helpfulness—and we're more motivated when we feel our manager is there to help us. US President Harry Truman perfectly captured humility's essence: "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit." Humility is based on two features: confidence in your own skills and a sense of generosity. Without confidence, those who are highly generous become pushovers, taken advantage of because they can't establish boundaries. Without generosity, confidence becomes overbearing, and someone becomes a show-off. True humility operates from an abundance mentality and rejects the notion that the fastest route to success is becoming a superstar. My friend Grace Marshall calls this "being the spotlight, not the star." When you make others shine, you still add your own brilliance. Michael Norton CBE exemplifies this approach. After a successful career in banking and publishing, he's founded dozens of social enterprises, including The Directory of Social Change, Changemakers, UnLtd, and MyBank. His secret? "Start things you want to make happen and support them, but then don't worry about who gets the credit." He told me about developing financial literacy in schools: "I started it and found seed funding, but then I met Lily Lapenna. She's gone on to develop this idea into a thriving social enterprise, received an MBE, and taken it to the next level. If you get out of the way, that's where the magic happens." A great way to be the spotlight is through witnessing—showing someone just how good the movie of their life is. Witnessing is about reveling in a supporting role rather than problem-solving or comparing your stories with theirs. It's about acknowledging others' experiences and achievements, whether in significant moments or everyday interactions. When I accompanied my Ugandan friend Abudu to his law school graduation because his family couldn't attend, I discovered the power of bearing witness. I dressed formally to honor the occasion, cheered loudly when his name was called, and took him for his first Wagamama meal to celebrate. I enjoyed that day more than my own graduation. Practicing humility means becoming comfortable with phrases like "I don't know," "Where are we stuck?," "I made a mistake," and "That's so kind of you to say" (instead of deflecting compliments). It means asking "What are we grateful for?" and acknowledging when someone challenges your thinking with "Good challenge." These humble scripts help create a culture where others feel safe to be vulnerable, share ideas, and take risks. Julie Nerney, who has led major corporations and overseen transport strategy for the London 2012 Olympics, places humility high on her list of desirable traits. She told me that self-awareness is key: "It never fails to amaze me how valuable these insights are. Our own self-perceptions are woefully inaccurate. The deeper your self-awareness, the more you realize how much you don't know and the more open to humility you are."

Chapter 8: Beyond Yourself: Creating Cultures Where Kindness Thrives

Kindfulness is about being aware of the power of kindness beyond ourselves. It means being a "culture builder" and creating conditions where people feel permission to act with kindness. It's not enough to personally think and act kindly—we have a duty to make kindness the default response in our organizations and beyond. While the first principle ("Kindness Starts With You") might have seemed somewhat self-focused, this principle turns that on its head: our own kindness pales compared to creating infinite loops of kindness throughout our communities. When Sven-Göran Eriksson became manager of the England football team in 2001, he faced a significant challenge. Despite having talented players, the team had underachieved for years. These highly-paid stars often approached national duty halfheartedly, facing ridicule from press and fans. Eriksson knew he needed to change the culture—to set high standards, build belief, and eliminate fear of failure. But he also knew it couldn't all be about him. Working with sports psychologist Willi Railo, Eriksson developed the concept of "cultural architects"—people with high levels of self-confidence and influence who share your vision. He identified David Beckham as his primary cultural architect and made him team captain. Beckham embodied what Eriksson wanted to create: natural talent combined with fierce ambition, fearlessness, and hard work. The team flourished, achieving a historic 5-1 victory over Germany that would have seemed impossible just years earlier. James Timpson exemplifies how kindness can become embedded in organizational DNA. As CEO of the Timpson Group—the UK's leading retail service provider with 5,000 staff and 2,200 stores—James continues the kindness-centered approach established by his father John. About 10% of Timpson staff are former prisoners, reflecting the company's commitment to prison skills training programs. Staff receive their birthday off, weekly bonuses, and access to company holiday properties free of charge. The company's "Dreams Come True" initiative uses company funds to fulfill staff wishes, from dental treatment to IVF to trips visiting long-lost relatives. "I'm the most commercial person you will find anywhere," James told me. "The financial results are the most important thing. Yet, I've just signed off us paying £3,500 for a holiday for a couple who work for us, because they've had a really tough time. Why am I doing that? Number one, as a thank you to them. Number two, I also know that when they come back, they'll work incredibly hard and they won't leave. And they will be an ambassador for our culture too." Timpson runs a monthly "Random Acts of Kindness Award" where the best five stories from colleagues receive £50 vouchers. This competition keeps kindness stories circulating throughout the organization. "Timpson is a business built on people and stories—and living proof that a kind working culture gets results," James says. Creating a culture of kindness starts with removing barriers. Gender can be one such barrier—many men find emotional aspects of kindness challenging because they seem "soft" or "feminine," while women have often been taught through books like Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office that success requires behaving more like "alpha males." The future of work will emphasize "people skills," so perhaps instead of women "being more like the guys," the future for everyone should be "Be More Jacinda." Introversion can be another barrier. The BBC Kindness Test found that extroverts have a greater tendency toward kindness than introverts, partly because they gain energy from others and spend more time in their company. But introverts can be powerfully kind in quieter ways—praising someone via email rather than in front of a group, for instance. Creating inclusive environments where everyone feels valued allows each person to express kindness in their authentic way. Julian Richer, founder of Richer Sounds, demonstrates how systematic kindness drives performance. Every Friday night, he reviews a detailed "colleague care report" listing every employee facing health issues, bereavements, or personal challenges: "I often pick up the phone to colleagues and see how they're getting on. We often pay for private healthcare so they don't have to get stressed waiting two years for an appointment. Kindness is many things." When Julian turned 60, he created an employee ownership trust and transferred 60% of his shares to his staff, with bonuses allocated based on years of service. "Morale has gone through the roof. Customers seem to like it very much. I think it definitely has improved employee engagement," he says. "I think you have to be holistic about kindness. It's like you hear about these businesses talking about what they do in the community and then you find out they're not paying any tax. Kindness has got to be consistent and holistic to have credibility." The quiet power of kindness has a life of its own. Our own kind actions matter, but the ripple effects of creating the right culture are exponential. As the Italian tradition of Caffè Sospeso ("suspended coffee") shows, simple acts can create vessels for ongoing kindness. When you buy your morning coffee plus an extra one for anyone in need who might come later, you create an anonymous loop of generosity. The coffee shop owner who first found an old jar and wrote "caffè sospeso" on it created the conditions for thousands of kind acts to follow—a perfect example of Kindfulness at work.

Summary

Throughout these chapters, we've discovered that kindness isn't just a moral imperative—it's a business advantage with measurable impact. The science is clear: kindness creates biochemical changes that reduce stress, increase happiness, and boost productivity. It builds the trust and psychological safety that Google identified as the number one factor in high-performing teams. Far from being weak, true kindness combines truth with grace, maintaining high standards while treating people with dignity. It begins with self-kindness, flows through clear expectations and deep listening, and extends to putting people first even when crises hit. The most powerful insight may be that kindness creates infinite loops of positive impact. When Brian Chesky of Airbnb faced regulatory battles, he chose to "kill them with kindness" rather than fight—meeting with critics and listening deeply to transform adversaries into allies. When NK Chaudhary built Jaipur Rugs, he revolutionized an industry by trusting weavers and prioritizing their dignity, creating a multi-million-dollar business through kindness. When Julian Richer transferred 60% of his company to employees, engagement soared. These aren't isolated successes—they represent a pattern of sustainable leadership through kindness. As you move forward, remember that kindness isn't just something you do—it's something you help others do too. Like the coffee shop owner who created the Caffè Sospeso tradition with just an empty jar and a label, you can create vessels for kindness that outlast your direct actions. In a world that often celebrates the "business bastard" myth, be the one who proves that kindness gets results. Make space for people to bring their whole selves to work. Listen deeply when others speak. Hold high standards with both truth and grace. Put people first, work second—always. The future of business belongs not to those who dominate through fear, but to those who lead with the quiet, transformative power of kindness.

About Author

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Graham Allcott

Graham is the founder of Think Productive

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