2nd Edition
Kindness in Leadership
Foreword: Intelligence helps: kindness helps more (Colin Mayer)
Introduction: our chapters and their contents
Gay Haskins
PART I: A Call for Kindness: Bringing Kindness to the Fore
1. Kindness and its many manifestations
Gay Haskins and Mike Thomas
2. Kindness in leadership at work
Gay Haskins and Mike Thomas
3. Kindness in leadership in UK private and public sector organisations
Clare Murray and Alison Gill
4. Kindness in leadership: A global perspective
Lalit Johri
5. Kindness: perspectives from women leaders
Gay Haskins
6. Kindness and the Independent Owner Managed Business
Allan Gibb, Yolanda Gibb and Dinah Bennett
7. Kindness in sports performance and leadership
Alison Gill
8. Fairness and equity: The impact of pay disparity on equity and engagement
Mike Thomas and Caroline Rowland
9. Kindness in leadership: An opportunity for business schools?
Gay Haskins
10. Conclusions to Part I: Bringing kindness to the fore
Gay Haskins, Mike Thomas, Dinah Bennett, Allan Gibb, Yolanda Gibb, Alison Gill, Lalit Johri, Clare Murray and Caroline Rowland
PART II: Kindness in a Fast-moving, Unpredictable World
11. Kindness in leadership: implications for psychological safety and belonging
Clare Murray
12. Confronting inequality: translating kindness into equitable outcomes
Lalit Johri
13. Kindness and the internet: is social media less tolerant, less compassionate and less kind following the global covid pandemic?
Mike Thomas
14. Purposeful organisations: sustainable products for a kinder world
Gay Haskins and James Haskins
15. Conclusions: Kindness in a fast-moving, unpredictable world
Gay Haskins, Lalit Johri, Clare Murray & Mike Thomas
Epilogue: A company founded on kindness
Kathleen Sarpy
Biography
Gay Haskins is former Dean of Executive Education at London Business School and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Lalit Johri is a globally respected leadership thinker and educator whose work inspires leaders to create impact through organisational purpose and kindness.
Clare Murray is a consultant organisational psychologist and leadership coach with an expertise in enhancing the collaborative potential of individuals and teams.
Mike Thomas is Chair of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and East Lancashire NHS Trust, UK.
“The first edition of Kindness in Leadership was a wake-up call for those mindful about the future of the world and the role of its leaders. Eight years later, we live with a major war in Europe, the continued after-shocks of a global pandemic and the rise of ideologies fuelled by intolerance - all making this new edition timely. With five new chapters, the second edition underscores the importance of fighting fear with hope, care and trust.”
Dominic Houlder, Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, London Business School
“Having personally benefited from the insights of Kindness in Leadership, I find the second edition especially timely. As leaders confront the challenges of AI, declining trust, inequality, social media polarisation and climate change, the new chapters show how kindness can be translated into psychological safety, belonging, equity, digital trust and responsible stewardship of our planet. This book makes a compelling case that kindness is not simply virtue – it is an essential leadership capability for navigating an increasingly complex and unpredictable world.”
Aditi Ghosh, Country Director, Sri Lanka, ChildFund International“Arriving at a moment when trust in institutions and technology is fraying, this second edition could not be more timely. The new chapters on belonging, equity, social media and the planet extend a powerful argument: kindness is not an optional virtue but core infrastructure for leadership in the twenty first century.”
George Molakai, CEO & Co-Founder, MindSpring Innovations Inc., Chicago, USA
“After a decade from the pioneering insights of Kindness in Leadership, this 2nd edition is most timely as we enter an era beyond win-win global leadership and collaboration. The call to act on global issues including climate change, inequity and uncertainty requires kindness at its core. As the authors highlight, we can all lean on kindness to increase trust, establish respect, altruism, equity and empowerment within organisations and society, and importantly translating kindness into equitable outcomes.”
Beng Neoh, Head of China, AMP Ltd., Australia-China
“Kindness is not a soft alternative to effective leadership; it enables organisations and people to perform at their best. In our complex and volatile world, leaders who foster kindness, trust, dignity and inclusion will create the environments that led to enhanced organisational performance. This second edition continues to make a compelling case that kindness is not just a value, but a strategic leadership capability.”
Philippa Bonay OBE, Chief Human Resources Officer, The Global Fund, Geneva, Switzerland
Endorsements from the 1st edition:
“There is too little attention given to the importance of kindness in leadership. Maybe this book can help to shift the paradigm of leadership so that kindness takes a bigger place in the list of characteristics sought in selecting and promoting leaders in all kinds of organisations in society.”Professor Ariane Berthoin Antal, research director, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Germany
“Having heard from several of my superiors in my career about ‘being too soft and compassionate’ as an improvement area, I was delighted to read about the virtues of ‘kindness in leadership.’ This book by some eminent thought leaders, reassured me that kindness in leaders is their strength and it has a direct bearing on the success of any pursuit.”
Deepak Chopra, Director, Group Supervisory Board, Anand Group, India
“What a beautiful, thought-provoking exploration of this poorly explored yet absolutely critical dimension of leadership. It will show you the power of kindness and how it can transform your leadership.”
Professor Jay A. Conger, Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership Studies, Claremont McKenna College, USA
“In today’s complex, rapidly changing high tech. world, kindness in leadership is more important than ever. The collective wisdom of the authors, all experts in the field of leadership and business, brings together important insights and practices. A kinder world is a more productive world where individuals and corporations can thrive.”
Katherine Corich, Founder and Chair, Sysdoc Group, New Zealand
“This book makes a compelling case for kindness and fairness contributing to business success. Kindness certainly contributes to business success, but it is not an easy option and needs wholehearted involvement from the top.”
John Elliott MBE DL, Executive Chairman, Ebac Ltd, UK
“Kindness is at the very heart of our philosophy but it demands that everyone lives and breathes it every day. The human, financial and societal outcomes are tangible and will endure through future generations.”
Richard Everard OBE DL, Chairman, Everards Brewery Ltd, UK
“It might not be high on the corporate agenda – but this terrific book shows the central role that kindness can play in making our corporations and society a better place.”
Professor Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice, London Business School, UK
“This could be the book which changes global perception and appreciation of kindness in leadership, bringing it to the fore in the considered development of our organisations and societies. The authors’ panoramic exploration of the many manifestations and impacts of kindness highlights the immense value of this inexhaustible, infinitely sharable, inner resource. The book is a true gift to the literature on Leadership and a convincing exposition of how we would all benefit from making kindness more visible in the world.”
Professor Suzi Jarvis, Founding Director, UCD Innovation Academy, University College Dublin, Ireland
“Hard, compelling justification for kind leadership. A powerful addition to our understanding of why organisational cultures based on trust and engagement deliver superior results.”
Major General David Mulhall, DSC, AM, CSC, Australian Army, Australian Defence Force, Australia
“Kindness in Leadership provides the ‘ying’ to governance frameworks’ ‘yang’ that so often is discussed in isolation resulting in a bureaucratic tick-box exercise. The contributors provide a fresh, and at times revelatory, new approach to leadership and influencing culture in professional and high-performance environments; exploring good old-fashioned courtesy, respect and fairness. The perfect antidote to compliance that could prove an essential accompaniment to the revised Corporate Governance Code.”
Annamarie Phelps, Olympic Rower and Vice Chair, World Rowing
“This thought-provoking and ambitious book makes a strong case for integrating kindness into the complicated role of leadership, a topic that is not discussed enough. Fairness and kindness have contributed significantly to my law firm’s financial success, stability, and remarkable retention of top professionals and staff employees.”
Arthur J. Shartsis J.D., Founding Partner, Shartsis Friese LLP, San Francisco, USA
“Everyone agrees that kindness is an important virtue; yet conceptually, especially in leadership work, it can be elusive. Kindness in Leadership elucidates the various facets of kindness as an important set of values in our leadership practices in a clear, insightful and practical manner. Values-based leadership is needed now more than ever before in this current climate of rapid and disruptive changes. This book gives us the stimulus to think much harder about it and hopefully practise it conscientiously.”
Wong Siew Hoong, former Director-General of Education, Ministry of Education, Singapore
“The book rightfully and convincingly argues that kindness should be the DNA of a successful organization for it enhances purpose and values of its people. I am inspired to further ingrain it in my organization which places compassion at its core.”
Professor Dato’ Seri Mohd Azhari Yakub, former CEO and Cardiac Surgeon, National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
“This is a book that is most needed in this time of divisiveness in politics, international relations and society at large. I found a number of useful suggestions for conversations and individual contemplation. Kindness is contagious … pass it on!”
Sven Atterhed, Co-Founder, The ForeSight Group, Sweden
