Humanity as a Competitive Advantage

“It’s better to be effective than it is to be right.”

This was my favourite saying that I always urged staff to remember.

But when I look back now, I wasn’t even scratching the surface.

Because there is something far more powerful than this, far more impactful than mere effectiveness.

And that is kindness.

The more I have researched human performance, the more it is evident that it is humanity that drives output.

Think about the managers that inspired you the most.

Were they the managers that were always “right”? The managers that were always “effective”?

Or were they kind, because they cared about your growth and potential?

Performance improves when people feel seen, heard and respected.

That’s not just effectiveness, that’s kindness.

Think of this in the context of disengaged teams for a moment. Employee engagement globally has declined to 21 %, costing the world economy $438 billion last year in lost productivity. Low morale drives turnover, absenteeism, and performance breakdowns.

In poorly aligned workplaces, employees are 87% less likely to stay. By contrast, engaged cultures reduce turnover and absenteeism, leading to better retention and productivity.

And if kindness is at the root of employee engagement, then what a difference it could make.

Humanity as a competitive advantage, now there’s a new race to the top.