Why Survival-of-the-Fittest Leadership Fails

Way too often, leaders act as if they had only read Darwin’s most known book, often summarized as “the survival of the fittest”. It was a great theory, but then discovered a fundamental flaw. And so he went on to research “the survival of the kindest”. 

He found that this theory explains more correctly which species climb the evolutionary ladder.  He found that cooperation was more important than competition. 

Now, being kind as a leader doesn’t mean being “nice”. 

Nice is often:

• Not saying what needs to be said 

• Avoiding conflict 

• Not giving honest feedback 

• Not addressing the elephant in the room. 

• Not creating consequences for bad behaviour or underperformance  

On the other hand, being kind is: 

• Having the courage to address difficult conversations

• Telling people what they need to hear so that they can do better

• Making it clear what is acceptable and expected of everyone 

• Taking responsibility for own mistakes and without pointing fingers 

• Admitting when something is screwed up and needs fixing 

Being a tough and kick*ss fighter is an important life skill for surviving.

Being kind is the key for thriving.