It profits to be kind: Why there is no glory in building a billion-dollar business while emotionally bankrupting people

Economic Times

4 days ago

We live in a business world that celebrates speed, scale and the next shiny disruption. We chase unicorns, glorify moonshots, track every click and every KPI. We've taught machines to talk, apps to flirt and AI to write poetry. But in the race to digitise and optimise, somewhere along the way we forgot to humanise. We began treating people like passwords-necessary to log in but quickly forgotten. In today's world, kindness and empathy aren't optional virtues, they are essential infrastructure.
Corporate folklore has long idolised the 'tough boss', a hybrid of Michael Corleone and Steve Jobs, who storms into meetings, demands miracles within a day and fires people on the spot. Yes, they may deliver results, but they often leave behind trails of burnout, anxiety-ridden juniors and a spate of resignation letters. The truth is, there's no glory in building a billion-dollar business while emotionally bankrupting your people. Leadership built on fear eventually collapses under its own insecurity. Kindness does not mean being weak. Empathy is not a sign of indecision. Research now shows that empathetic leaders create healthier, more productive and cohesive organisations. Think of empathy as the Wi-Fi of your organisation. Invisible, often taken for granted, but when it goes missing, nothing works.In a 2024 McKinsey Talks Talent podcast, 'It's cool to be kind: The value of empathy at work,' Stanford psychologist and author of The War for Kindness Jamil Zaki, talks about empathy having three distinct forms:
Cognitive empathy: Ability to understand what someone is feeling.
Emotional empathy: Actually feeling what another person feels. It's what makes you wince when someone else is hurting or smile when they succeed.
Compassionate empathy: Perhaps most crucial for leadership, ability not just to feel, but to act. It's empathy with legs. Great leaders blend all three. But where's the RoI?
Retention: Empathetic cultures see far lower attrition. Losing good people is expensive. Keeping them through understanding and sympathy is far more precious.
Innovation: People only take creative risks when they feel psychologically safe. You can't tell someone to 'think outside the box' while boxing them in with fear.
Reputation: In today's social media age, leaks of a toxic culture spread fast, with reputations being the first casualty. Genuine empathy builds solid loyalty. Empathy at work is about letting someone leave early to care for a sick parent. It's about not scheduling 10 pm calls just because your inspiration strikes at night. It's giving feedback with dignity. Celebrating effort, not just outcomes. Listening without interrupting.
An empathetic attitude is especially vital when it comes to supporting women in the workplace. Whether it's navigating maternity, caregiving responsibilities, uncomfortable situations, or simply having a say in meeting rooms, women face unique challenges. When women feel heard, supported and safe, entire organisations rise. Kindness isn't a policy you paste on a wall. It's a value you live by daily. It shows up when you celebrate someone's small win, or when you cancel a meeting because your colleague has a problematic situation, or when you write a handwritten note to thank a retiring team member, or when you ask after their health. And as Zaki says, empathy isn't a talent, it's a skill that can be built up just like any other.There's also a compelling generational shift underway. Gen Z and millennials are more concerned about purpose of the organisation. They want to work for companies that value their emotional wellbeing. They want managers who ask questions, try to understand and resolve matters, not just give instructions.A May 2025 Deloitte study found that 69% of employees would work harder if they felt more appreciated. In 2018, Gallup reported that teams in the US with engaged leaders showed 21% greater profitability.The pandemic was also a brutal teacher. But it taught us that in times of crisis, people don't only remember how quickly you responded, but they also remember how human you were.Then there's humour, an underrated management tool. When used with grace, it can break tension, open up honesty and deliver tough messages in a soft wrapper. Laced with empathy, humour is like adrak ki chai, a little sharp, yet warm and easy to digest.Empathy outlives designations and market cycles, and outshines strategy decks. You don't get quoted for how many hours you worked. You get remembered for the one moment you paused and truly connected with another.But individual acts are not enough. We need empathy by design. It must reflect in our policies and behaviour-from parental leave to mental health access, from how we onboard juniors to how we offboard seniors. Every company's balance sheet should include a new item line: empathy reserves.So, let's continue to innovate, automate, scale and grow. But let us also remember that no machine, metric or model will ever replace the quiet power of a kind word spoken at the right time. To every leader out there: be kind. Not just when it's easy. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.) Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Zomato delivered, but did the other listed unicorns?
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