Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban Agree: One Underrated Trait Can Lead To Success
Written by
Kellan Jansen
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban are two of the most popular investors of their era. Cuban and Corcoran share their investment philosophies through interviews, podcasts and the hit TV show “Shark Tank.”
Although the duo built their fortunes in different ways, each agrees that one key soft skill is an underrated factor in business success. That skill? Kindness. Read on to learn why.
Two Lessons
Both Cuban and Corcoran began to appreciate the underrated trait of kindness through personal experiences.
Corcoran had a bad shopping experience one day while out with her brother, she explained on TikTok. She was growing angry at an unresponsive employee — until her brother reminded her that they had no idea what she was going through and how it might impact her in the workplace.
Her brother said something that has stuck with her to this day. He said, simply, “She’s doing the best she can.” That’s become a mantra that Corcoran repeats to remind herself of the importance of kindness.
Cuban, on the other hand, said he didn’t show any kindness early in his career. But when he realized that this was impacting his employees, he decided to make a change.
“I wish somebody would have told me to be nicer,” he said on an episode of the “Raising Health” podcast.
Why Kindness Matters in the Workplace
Cuban and Corcoran talk about the importance of kindness, because they’ve had firsthand experiences benefitting from it.
Corcoran said she often thinks back on the encounter that woke her up to the value of kindness and uses the lesson to be a better boss and investor. Cuban’s pivot to kindness has made the workplaces he oversees more connected.
These experiences may be subjective, but they’re in line with the data. Gallup reported that employees who receive compliments and words of recognition at work tend to show lower levels of burnout and absenteeism: There is a correlation between kindness and positive employee outcomes.
Tips for Practicing Kindness in Business
Kindness is a soft skill that anybody can improve with practice. But it’s not always obvious how to bring empathy into a workspace. So here are some ideas to get you started.
Lead by Example
Employees are naturally sensitive to their leaders’ behaviors. So if you practice kindness, that could set the tone for your entire team. It can be as simple as offering more words of affirmation or making it a point to verbalize your satisfaction more often.
Another part of leading with kindness is checking employees who aren’t practicing it. You don’t have to get angry with them, but you should address problematic behavior proactively, so it doesn’t rub off on the rest of your team.
Set Aside Time for Kindness
Another idea is to set aside some time each day to practice kindness with your team. For example, you could start or end your next meeting with a round of compliments and ask your employees to do the same. A few minutes could boost morale significantly — especially when you keep it up over time.
Setting aside time for kindness is especially important if you have a remote or hybrid workforce. When team members have fewer interactions with one another, it’s tough to bond. Quick “kindness rounds” during Zoom meetings could be the solution.
Consider Financial Incentives
Some companies go so far as to reward acts of kindness with financial incentives. Google, for example, lets employees give each other small peer bonuses to recognize acts like helping out with a tough project.
Your plan wouldn’t have to break the bank. Research shows that people appreciate small acts of kindness as much as large ones — even a few dollars or a small gift card could be enough to transform your workplace into a kinder place.
Keep Going
Finally, it’s important to keep up your kindness initiative over a long time frame. A single compliment or conversation with an employee won’t boost your empathy right away. But it’s amazing how your life and workplace can change, if you keep making that effort over time. That’s probably why Corcoran and Cuban are keen to talk about it.
The Final Word
Kindness isn’t a trait usually associated with success in business, but two of this era’s most successful investors have called it essential to their growth — so maybe it’s worth focusing on more. You can do so by offering more compliments and words of affirmation at work, whatever your role.
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