Kindness & Leadership

3 Minute Read

A few years ago, I sat across from a CEO who was trying to salvage a team on the brink of collapse.

Let’s call her Rachel.

Her company had just gone through a brutal round of layoffs. The market had turned, investors were impatient, and the once-buzzing office now felt like a ghost town. She had done everything "by the book" with clear communication, severance packages, restructuring plans. But morale had dropped, productivity was slipping and people were afraid to speak up. When I asked what she thought her team needed most, she said something I'll never forget:

That moment stuck with me. Because behind her guilt was a realization that many leaders are now waking up to: grace and kindness aren't soft skills they're survival skills in today’s human-centric, emotionally intelligent workplaces.

At ZRG, we focus on cultural fit and leadership styles above anything else, its the most important success factor for any new leader or executive in the world of modern business. AI & Technology are enablers across many areas however they can also mask and only create more issues around culture and behaviour if not address correctly.

The Myth of the Tough Leader

For decades, leadership was built on the myth of strength through dominance. The "tough but fair" boss. The one who didn't show too much emotion, who kept personal and professional life seperate and who saw kindness as weakness.

But things have changed.

We now lead hybrid teams, navigate burnout at scale, and try to manage deeply human experiences such as grief, anxiety and identity within professional contexts. People aren’t just showing up to work, they are showing up as whole people and they’re paying attention to how you treat them.

Grace Under Pressure: A Story of a Different Kind of Leader

Contrast Rachel with David, a VP at a growing consumer startup. When one of his team members, a high-performing analyst named Maya, started missing deadlines, old instincts kicked in. He wanted to put her on a performance improvement plan immediately, but something told him to pause.

He asked her to grab a coffee instead.

Over that conversation, he learned that Maya had recently become the caregiver for her aging father. She was exhausted, overwhelmed, and afraid to speak up. David didn’t lower the bar for her performance, but he adjusted the timeline, connected her with resources, and created a support system within the team.

Maya rebounded. Not only did her performance improve, so did her loyalty and trust in David. She told others what he did and that culture of grace spread.

Grace doesn’t mean lowering expectations. It means meeting people where they are, with humanity and hope.

Styles of Grace-Filled Leadership

There’s no one way to lead with kindness, but here are a few real-life expressions that I’ve seen move teams:

1. The Quiet Listener

Like Sarah, a director at a nonprofit, who started every Monday team call with five minutes of silence for anyone who wanted to share something non-work related. It became a ritual of emotional safety. Not everyone spoke, but everyone knew they could.

2. The Boundary Protector

Like Carlos, a tech team lead, who enforced “no Slack after 6 PM” for his team and stuck to it himself. That small act of kindness sent a huge signal: I respect your time and your life outside of work.

3. The Graceful Challenger

Like Priya, a supply chain VP, who gave tough feedback with care. She’d say, “I’m sharing this because I believe in what you’re capable of not because I’m disappointed in who you are.” Her team didn’t fear her feedback, they grew from it.

Why It Matters Now More Than Ever

We live in an age where AI can automate tasks, strategies shift at lightning speed, and change is the only constant but grace and kindness are what make us irreplaceably human.

The leaders who thrive now and into the future are not those who know all the answers. They're the ones who create cultures where people feel seen, safe, and supported.

Rachel eventually rebuilt her team not through policy, but through presence. She began checking in with empathy, acknowledging emotions, even admitting when she didn’t have the right words. Her vulnerability created connection and her grace created trust.

Want to Learn More?

We’re constantly tracking leadership trends through our SPEED model — a data-augmented, human-led framework for executive search.

If you’re building the next generation of leadership, let’s talk.

Reply here or reach out directly to James Absalom, Chief Commercial Officer - International & Managing Partner of Global Supply Chain Practice, at ZRG.