The top end of town can be a kind place.
I was reading a LinkedIn post the other day, in which a leadership consultant spoke about the privilege of working closely with some extraordinary leaders over the years. And that, while each had their strengths, the truly unforgettable ones all shared one thing: a deep commitment to kindness.
Which got me thinking. Is there space for kindness at the top end of town? To lead with generosity, warmth & grace - or to lead with coldness, callousness & disinterest? That is the question!
It’s long been assumed that the top end of town - the C-suites, corner offices and global boardrooms - is the natural habitat of sharp elbows, sharp minds, and even sharper suits. It’s where ambition towers, where margins matter, and where kindness is assumed to be a luxury no one can afford.
But I believe this is an outdated tale. In reality, and increasingly so, the top end of town can be a kind place. Not soft. Not sentimental. But genuinely, intentionally kind.
Sure, some remnants of the old world still hang around - the hero CEO, the toxic rock star, the unrelenting pressure cooker environments. But step into today’s most successful, sustainable organisations and you’ll often find something surprising: leaders who lead with empathy, who ask more questions than they answer, and who operate under a cultural code that values not just what you deliver, but how you do so. Remember one of the high-performance imperatives – we need to demonstrate the right behaviours that are ‘on brand’.
Kindness in business isn’t about cupcakes in the break room or corporate kumbaya. It’s about how power is held, how people are treated, and how decisions are made when nobody’s watching. It shows up in the way a CEO handles a struggling team member. In the way an exec gives credit away. In the quiet behind-the-scenes actions that build trust and safety.
One of the clearest examples of this cultural evolution is the increasingly adopted ‘No Dickhead Policy’.
Originating in elite sports and to this day, a key tenet of the ‘Sydney Bloods’ culture at the AFL’s Sydney Swans, this is now widely used across industry sectors. The principle is simple: no matter how talented someone is, if they undermine the culture, they don’t belong. Why? Because one toxic person can ruin a team. They take up mental space, create fear, and drain energy.
NB: one of the best business speeches I ever heard was at Grey Worldwide, where the CEO spoke about the choice we have in life - to be a ‘radiator’ or a ‘drain’. A business chock-full of ‘radiators’ - we can be world-class. But if there are any drains, it ain’t gonna happen. Genius …because it’s true.
I’ve worked with high-performing businesses where the ‘No Dickhead Policy’ isn’t just a nice idea - it’s gospel. Hiring decisions are made not just on capability, but on character. Promotions are given not just to high performers, but to those who raise the bar and the morale. The leadership mantra becomes ‘better a vacancy than a bad fit’. To resist the temptation to fill seats as quickly as possible, because we need more hands on deck.
And it works. Research backs it up.
Teams led by emotionally intelligent, kind leaders consistently outperform others in engagement, innovation and long-term results.
A 2020 study from the University of South Australia found that kindness from leaders was a more reliable predictor of team resilience than financial incentives. In other words, compassion scales.
Of course, kindness doesn’t mean shying away from tough calls. Sometimes, the kindest thing a leader can do is also the hardest. As Hamlet famously put it, “I must be cruel only to be kind.” It’s a line every decent leader knows all too well, because kindness isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it means letting someone go, ending a project, or saying no. Just do it with honesty, fairness and respect. True kindness has a backbone.
And here’s the kicker: the higher up you go, the more impact your kindness has. Senior leaders set the tone, whether they mean to or not. A CFO who checks in with an anxious analyst can reset a culture. A partner who apologises when they get it wrong can give everyone else permission to do the same. Small acts become large signals.
I’ve seen it firsthand: leaders with enormous responsibility who take the time to send handwritten thank-you notes. Execs who ask the intern what they think - and listen to the answer. Board chairs who make time to support a grieving employee’s family. These are not PR moves. These are moments that become stories. And stories help to shape culture.
Kindness is also contagious. When leaders model kindness, teams mirror it. It creates psychological safety, an imperative foundation dynamic for high performance. It becomes a competitive advantage, because people do their best work when they feel seen, respected and valued. It turns out kindness is not just an HR buzzword. It’s a bottom-line driver.
So, maybe it’s time to retire the myth that the top is cold and cut-throat. That to succeed you must be a hard arse. Maybe, just maybe, we can start recognising that power, when held with care, can be a force for good. That ambition and empathy can co-exist. That strength doesn’t have to shout.
Because the truth is, the best leaders I ‘ve worked with aren’t feared - they’re trusted & respected. Which usually results in them being liked too. They don’t weaponise their power, they share it. And they don’t need to remind people who’s in charge – they look after the people in their charge. Their kindness speaks louder than any title ever could.
So yes - the top end of town can be a kind place. ‘Let’s make the world of business a kinder place, one organisation at a time’. I quite like the idea of this being part of my proposition.
Mike
