There’s a quiet misunderstanding sitting at the heart of many workplaces. Leaders say they want to be kind but what they often practice is niceness. And while niceness feels comfortable in the moment, it’s kindness that actually builds trust, performance, and resilient teams.

Let’s be honest: whenever someone suggests “workplace wellness,” the first thing executives think is, “That sounds expensive… so what’s the ROI?”

If you ever want to understand leadership, don’t just watch Ted Talks, watch animals. They’ve been refining leadership strategies for millions of years, long before we built corner offices, wrote KPIs, or invented the phrase “circle back.”