We need people with these two traits in our (work) life

KINDHEARTED BADASS

This is the bold (?) phrase I arrived at over the weekend when I was reflecting on work life:

What I hear and see, the kind of person I want to be, the kind of people I want to surround myself with – and, above all, the type of behaviour and attitude our companies, our society, and frankly our world urgently need right now. As usual, I drew my reflections into a four-field model.

I hope you pause to consider:

1. Do you recognise yourself or your environment in these pictures?
2. In which direction are you – or your team – moving?


🟡 1. Kindhearted Badass (the ideal quadrant)

This is the person who is brave, forward-moving and proactive, yet deeply anchored in their values. They think beyond themselves, dare to grow, challenge constructively and build something bigger than their own success. This is the mindset organisations are calling for.

🟢 2. Kindhearted without drive (kindness without courage)

These are people who genuinely want good for others, are warm and values-driven – but do not dare to challenge, push themselves or grow. As a result, progress slows, development stalls and the future becomes fragile.
A good heart alone is not enough – we also need action and momentum.

🔵 3. Neither badass nor kindhearted (the pit of cynicism)

This is the most difficult quadrant: someone who isn’t developing, isn’t looking ahead and isn’t thinking about the greater good – only their own benefit. People often end up here through burnout, disappointment or a loss of meaning. It’s the “I don’t care anymore” state – a quiet catastrophe for any organisation.

🔴 4. Badass without heart, or a heart that has been suffocated (ego-driven or under pressure)

Here we see behaviour and attitude where someone runs full speed toward personal gain, recognition and career advancement – without a values-based compass.

But we also see another, much more common group I encounter constantly in my work:

😭 Brilliant, ambitious, forward-moving people who would care deeply – but KPI pressure and sales targets breathe down their neck so intensely that there is no space left for kindness. This is a massive risk and, in my view, a ticking time bomb for our entire society.

Summa summarum:

I believe the future of work requires courage and kindness side by side – one without the other simply isn’t enough.

We need people who want to grow and develop, who stay curious, who understand their responsibility AND who remain deeply anchored in their values and the bigger picture.

P.S. I’m currently in the upper right corner myself – stepping boldly into international work – but I also noticed how easily I could have slipped into the bottom right corner if I hadn’t acted.

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I’m Camilla, and my passion is to normalize emotions in our worklife and society. I do this through speaking — combining my own illustrations, ongoing research, and insights from working with over 500 companies to better understand and lead emotions.