Strategic Kindness

Navigating Business Success in a Trumpian Landscape

It feels like uncertainty and polarised leadership styles are leaving lasting impacts on today’s business environment. Markets are volatile, and concerns about trade wars are increasing. As a result, kindness might seem secondary to strategy. However, I firmly believe it is a crucial tool for resilience and long-term success. Kindness, when applied strategically, strengthens relationships, enhances workplace culture, and creates a competitive edge. That is a crucial step to ensuring your strategy gets actioned, particularly during uncertain times.

Cheerful Business Meeting

How Kindness Gives Your Business a Competitive Edge

Kindness isn’t just a feel-good concept; it delivers tangible business results. Research consistently shows that companies prioritising positive workplace cultures achieve higher employee engagement, increased productivity, and lower turnover.

• Employee Engagement & Productivity: The 2022 Gallup ‘State of the Global Workplace’ Report found that highly engaged teams see a 23% increase in profitability and a 43% reduction in turnover. 
  

• Consumer Trust: The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer states there has been an “unprecedented global decline for employer trust” creating a strategic opportunity to differentiate yourself. 
  

Australian companies exemplify these principles. Atlassian’s open, collaborative culture has helped it maintain high employee satisfaction and strong market performance. Who Gives a Crap has built brand loyalty through its commitment to social impact, proving that purpose-driven businesses attract both talent and customers.

Kindness Requires Clarity: How to Set Boundaries Without Weakness

Being kind does not mean being weak. As Brené Brown states, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” In business, kindness means setting clear expectations, communicating directly, and holding people accountable. This applies to:

• Communication: Address issues promptly and constructively.
  

• Accountability: Define expectations and follow through.
  

• Decision-Making: Sometimes, the kindest action is making tough calls, such as parting ways with an employee who is not the right fit.
  

The Fair Work Ombudsman provides guidelines for fair and transparent workplace management, reinforcing that clear leadership benefits both employees and the organisation, including a suite of free templates that can be adapted and used in your workplaces. 

Managing Performance: Why Kindness Means Addressing Issues

Avoiding difficult conversations about underperformance does more harm than good. Yet, the ‘hope it improves’ is still an all-too-common management tactic. To help move your mind into the right place to address these issues, remind yourself of this: allowing one team member to consistently miss targets or engage in toxic behaviour unfairly shifts the burden onto the high performers. Addressing these issues fairly is essential for team morale and business outcomes. The rest of your team will (quietly and under their breath!) thank you for it.

Again, Fair Work outlines a structured approach to managing performance issues while ensuring procedural fairness. So if you’ve been sitting on a performance issue you haven't addressed, click the link above and commit to taking action. It is the kindest thing to do for all involved. 

How Community Investment Drives Business Success

Organisations that engage with their communities build goodwill, enhance their reputation, and achieve long-term profitability. For example, supporting local initiatives, prioritising environmental sustainability, or building strong relationships with Indigenous communities, based on your organisational priorities, are strategic moves that align businesses with stakeholder expectations.

• Case Study: Companies like BHP have made significant investments in Indigenous employment programs, strengthening their workforce while driving social impact.
  

• Public Perception: In the five years to 2023 products making ESG-related claims accounted for 56 per cent of all growth - about 18 per cent more than would have been expected given their standing at the beginning of the five years.
  

Actionable Strategies for Leaders

So what simple steps can you take? To implement strategic kindness, try including more of this in your day to day:

1. Actively Listen – Understand concerns and acknowledge feedback.
   

2. Lead by Example – Model behaviours that align with company values.
   

3. Recognise Contributions – Celebrate team achievements.
   

4. Prioritise Wellbeing – Support mental health and work-life balance, in yourself and others.
   

5. Encourage Open Communication – Create an environment where employees feel heard.
   

6. Be Transparent – Share information openly, and appropriately, to build trust.

Final Thought: The Business Case for Kindness

Kindness is not about being agreeable at all costs, it’s about being smart. Businesses that prioritise strategic kindness create resilient cultures, attract top talent, and gain a competitive advantage. The question isn’t whether kindness belongs in leadership, but how effectively it can be integrated into decision-making.

What’s one way you can introduce strategic kindness into your leadership this week? Whether it’s setting clearer expectations, recognising achievements, or ensuring fairness in decision-making, the impact will be lasting.

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Author of ‘Meaningful Work: Unlock Your Unique Path to Career Fulfilment’, Nina Mapson Bone is a people strategist, consultant, chair and keynote speaker. She consults with boards, CEOs, founders and executives on bridging the disconnect between strategy and the needs, motivations and capabilities of their people. Nina’s executive career has spanned three continents and diverse sectors. She was previously the Managing Director of Beaumont People, where she led a period of significant growth for the organisation, during which it was recognised with multiple awards. For more information visit www.nmbpeoplestrategy.com.au