Kindness in Business Leadership: Invest in Self-Restraint

by Dijana Galijašević

In today's business environments, destructive leadership practices continue to cause significant harm to organizations, employees, and stakeholders. While extensive research has documented these detrimental effects, less attention has been given to proactive approaches for preventing such practices. Based on a systematic exploration of normative perspectives, this book examines kindness as a leadership strength to prevent destructive leadership behaviors. The research conceptualizes kindness through the principle of primum non nocere (first, do no harm), positioning it as a form of self-restraint essential for preventing illegitimate harm. Using the Practical Syllogism framework and the Ethical Compass tool, this book analyzes how kindness serves as a foundational leadership strength that promotes trust, cooperation, and sustainable organizational performance. The findings of this research contribute to the literature of leadership and business ethics by suggesting ways for leaders to manifest kindness and harm prevention in everyday decisions and behaviors, primarily by focusing on the development of moral awareness, willingness, and ability within leadership.