In today’s fast-paced and results-driven business world, kindness can sometimes be dismissed as a “soft” quality—a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. But this perception couldn’t be further from the truth. At Sodexo UK & Ireland, we have seen firsthand how kindness is a powerful leadership quality that drives business growth, enhances employee engagement, and strengthens our reputation in the marketplace. Kindness is not a weakness; it is a strategic strength that I believe it should shape how leaders lead to enable teams to succeed.
The urban legend that kindness equals weakness is outdated, albeit some still believe that to be kind is to be soft, indecisive, or unable to make difficult decisions. The truth is quite the opposite. It demands courage, clarity, and conviction.
So why do I believe Kindness is essential for Business Growth? - For me it’s pretty simple, leading with kindness creates an environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. This results, ultimately in colleagues contributing their best to an organisation’s ambition. By fostering the principles of a culture that encourages psychological safety, this also leads to colleagues being more inclined to be innovative, take educated risks, and be more open, and honest in their conversations with their leaders.
Why do I believe this? I’ve experienced it first hand, and kindness is my North Star, at work and at home.
Why it’s important? We all know that when we genuinely feel cared for, we are more motivated to go that extra mile, we want to stay and progress within our organisation and often have no hesitation in being a positive Ambassador for our employer. This engagement translates into tangible growth results – stemming from improved productivity to higher employee satisfaction to being overall happier at work!
Research shows organisations with high levels of employee wellbeing and engagement outperform their competitors and have higher customer and brand loyalty. This is often achieved where Kindness is authentic and truly embedded into the behaviours of leaders and colleagues. The results can be seen in how it helps build trust with clients and partners, enhances brand reputation and loyalty – evolving into part of your competitive advantage!
In the current climate, stakeholders—whether investors, partners, customers or consumers—demand more than profit. They want transparency, ethics, and social responsibility. Kindness is a reputational asset that signals a company’s authenticity and values.
Ultimately, kindness builds trust—and trust builds teams.
So, why lead with Kindness? Organisations that lead with kindness are more trusted because they are seen as human and genuine. They demonstrate that business can be a force for good, contributing to social equity and community wellbeing. For example, businesses engaged with Pilotlight provide support, guidance and coaching to charities across the UK. Whilst this may support many businesses social responsibilities, the engagement is 100% underpinned by the kindness of business leaders in donating their time, energy, insight, and empathy!
We must remember that leadership is not only about strategy, processes and number crunching — it’s fundamentally about people. By using kindness to shape how we connect, communicate, and cultivate our talent, our business is better equipped to enable its teams to collaborate in solving programmes and pursuing shared goals.
In summary, Kindness is not a moral or feel-good choice—it is a business imperative and leads to measurable business outcomes. It must be authentic and visible, with leaders leading by example, actively listening, showing appreciation, and encouraging colleagues to create value for the business, our communities, and colleagues – this is only possible if they feel valued!
