Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

256. Be Kind: The Most Overlooked Driver of Success

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Jan 15, 2026

Bonnie Hayden Cheng, a management professor at City University of Hong Kong, digs into the transformative power of kindness in workplaces. She introduces the 'Return on Kindness' metric, showing how kind cultures lead to happier, more productive employees. Cheng shares her RISE framework, highlighting role modeling and supportive actions as keys to kind leadership. The discussion contrasts kindness with niceness and emphasizes the importance of honest, compassionate feedback. Overall, it’s a powerful guide to fostering a culture of kindness that benefits everyone.

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INSIGHT

Everyone Can Lead Kindly

Leadership is not limited to positional authority; everyone can and should exhibit leadership qualities.
The RISE model generalizes to all employees to foster a culture of kindness across teams.

ADVICE

Be Kind And Firm

Distinguish kindness from niceness: be compassionate but willing to hold high standards and have tough conversations.
Use kindness as the foundation that enables candid feedback because people trust your positive intent.

ADVICE

Pair Candor With Positive Intent

Give honest, direct feedback with authenticity and positive intent, framing it as development rather than punishment.
Prepare and communicate with care so candid feedback is received as helpful.

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Why being kind is the best investment.

Can kindness be a company’s competitive advantage? Bonnie Hayden Cheng says yes — and she’s got a business metric to prove it: return on kindness.

Cheng is a professor of management at City University of Hong Kong who researches how workplace behaviors affect interpersonal dynamics and well-being. In her book, The Return on Kindness, she explores how organizations that foster a culture of kindness see a measurable ROK — one marked by a more committed, more productive, and less expensive workforce. “Organizations that have this kind of culture around acts of civic virtue, helping, or showing support for people, those end up having employees that want to stay, are less likely to call in sick, are more committed, their performance goes up,” she says. “There's also benefits for the company in terms of higher productivity and efficiency, and even lower costs.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Cheng and host Matt Abrahams explore how to build cultures of kindness — from Cheng’s RISE framework for kind leadership to why candor and compassion go hand-in-hand. Whether you're leading a team or simply trying to show up better for your colleagues, Cheng offers a compelling case for measuring what really matters: the return on kindness.

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:18) - What Is Kind Leadership?
(04:20) - The RISE Framework
(06:55) - Everyone Can Be a Leader
(08:14) - Kindness vs. Niceness
(10:43) - Kindness and Candor
(12:15) - Communicating Kindness
(14:14) - The Power of Tone and Pause
(16:31) - Building a Culture of Kindness
(18:43) - Protecting Kindness in Organizations
(20:49) - The Final Three Questions
(23:30) - Conclusion

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