The Essential Core Competency for the Future Workforce

Every great business story begins with people. The relationships we build with one another determine our success- or lack thereof. Organizational research shows that kindness fosters trust. It helps us build the kind of relationships that enable us to let down our guard, show up with open minds, collaborate and share our ideas that lead to exciting new products, services and brands. Wait, there’s more. When kindness is the foundation for the relationships we build internally, we’re more successful in serving the customers who entrust us with their business. 

Although the connection between kindness and business success has been clearly demonstrated in study after study, kindness is not the word many of us think of when it comes to business. I spent two decades in corporate America and kindness fueled my success because it was the foundation for my relationships.

When I told people I was going to launch a company focused on putting kindness to work (in business) most of them looked at me as though I’d lost my mind. Their puzzled look was followed by, “What does kindness have to do with business Cole?” A CEO I met with last year had the same question when I shared the research and advised him to adopt kindness as a foundational core of his company. Our conversation went something like this:

CEO: Kindness is a nice idea but we have more important things to focus on.

Me: Like what?

CEO: Like revenue. Business is about revenue Cole. 

Me: Let’s think about that for a minute. Who creates revenue?

CEO: My sales teams.

Me: So people on your sales teams create revenue?

CEO: Yes.

Me: How do those people create revenue?

CEO: They sell our products and services.

Me: Who do they sell your products to?

CEO: Customers.

Me: Okay, so people on your sales teams sell your products to other people. 

CEO: Right.

Me: Okay. Who creates the products?

CEO: Our product teams.

Me: And are there people on your product teams?

CEO: Yes, of course. 

Me: How do those people create the products you sell? 

CEO: What do you mean? 

Me: Well, does one person create your products or do many people work together to create them?

CEO: People work together.

Me: That means those people have to be able to collaborate successfully, right? 

CEO: Yes, of course. 

Me: Do you think trust makes it easier for them to collaborate?

CEO: Well, sure.

Me: So, what happens if the people on those product teams don’t collaborate? What if they don’t share their ideas because they don’t trust one another? What happens if they’re unkind and react poorly when they disagree? Do you think that any of those things would impact their ability to work together and successfully create the products that your sales people sell to the people who buy them that create revenue? (Lightbulb moment #1)

Me: How do you tell the world about the amazing products your people create?

CEO: Our marketing team creates campaigns, outreach plans, etc.

Me: Ok, so people create the marketing that creates awareness.

CEO: Right.

Me: Do you think your marketing is more powerful when the people on those teams work together successfully? 

CEO: Of course.

Me: Okay, so people work together to create marketing that creates awareness and buzz about the products that the people on your product teams create that your salespeople sell to other people which bring in revenue dollars and market share for your company. What if there’s a breakdown between any of those people along the way? (Lightbulb moment #2)

Me: Okay, back to your Sales teams. The people on your sales teams sell your products to people and if your sales people are successful, your company earns the business- revenue and market share. Right?

CEO: That’s right.

Me: So, how do your sales people get invited to meet with your prospective customers?

CEO: They do research, make cold calls or get leads, send emails, ask for a meeting... The customer agrees because they’re interested in what we sell. 

Me: Interest is part of it. It certainly might get your sales people in the door but, how do they get invited back the second time and every time after that until they reach agreement that results in a sale?

CEO: The first meeting has to go well.

Me: And what if it doesn’t? What if your sales people blow that first meeting because they don’t meet your customer with the kindness they need to build trust? What if  they don't get invited back? What if your competitor does?

CEO: Then we lose the sale, the revenue and the market share because we lose the customer. (Lightbulb moment #3)  

A colleague recently asked me why I think kindness is undervalued in business. Here’s what I said.

1. Kindness is misunderstood. 
2. The Art of War mindset in business still exists- combat, conquering- winning at all costs. 
3. Many leaders think of outcomes and people as separate things. 

So how do we start to move the needle?

1. We agree to value kindness as a strength and a core competency.
2. We agree to adopt a mindset of actionable kindness in business.
3. We understand unequivocally (once and for all) that people create outcomes.

How well we work together determines success- plain and simple.  Mindset, intention and action determine the relationships we build (for better or worse) and the outcomes we create. Putting kindness to work? becomes a transformational force and essential business decision.

My curiosity led me to launch an informal survey during the last few working days of 2020. I wanted to get an idea of how much kindness was rippling through business during one of the most challenging years in human history. I wanted to understand IF companies had become kinder and if so, how that affected people who worked for those companies. Just shy of 300 people responded. The last survey prompt was this: An absence of kindness makes me feel… And the survey said:

Let’s go back to where we started and revisit the conversation I had with the CEO. If an absence of kindness creates disengaged, mentally stressed, physically stressed people who feel undervalued, how successful do you think those people will be at creating trusted relationships internally and externally? Do you think they’d be able to show up and work together in ways that lead to growth in revenue and market share? Do you think they’d be able to collaborate, innovate and create messaging that would lead to new customers and brand loyalty? How do you think those outcomes created by those people would impact the stability and viability of your company? 

The simple fact is healthy, engaged, focused people who trust one another are better able to build relationships that enable them to work together and create some pretty incredible things. Those are the people who create thriving companies. Countless studies mirror what I learned in my informal survey of 300 professional people, just like you. Time and time again, the data shows that kindness fosters trust and overall well being that leads to greater collaboration, innovation, engagement and profitability. 

Kindness is the core competency we should be valuing and developing. This is the future of business. It’s time to leave The Art of War behind and add kindness to our corporate value set and vocabulary. It’s time to begin investing in kindness because when we do, we are investing in people and every great business story begins right there. 

By Cole Baker Bagwell, Founder | Cool Audrey | www.coolaudrey.com