# Intro: What do you picture when you hear 'kindness at work'?

- **Episode:** [207](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/207.md) (2025-06-19)
- **Type:** intro
- **Tags:** kindness, workplace, leadership
- **Time:** 0:00–2:40 (start 0s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/207?t=0](https://truthliesandwork.com/207?t=0)

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[0:00] Leanne Elliott: What do you picture when you hear the word kindness at work? Is it a boss that always checks in on your mental health, or someone who lets things slide a little too often? Does it sound strong or soft?
[0:12] Al Elliott: Because depending on who you ask, kindness is either the missing piece in our organizations or the reason nobody gets anything done these days
[0:19] Leanne Elliott: And yet, even as leaders talk about psychological safety and empathy, we're still seeing toxic behaviors celebrated in politics, in business, and in that LinkedIn, I said what I said
[0:30] Al Elliott: So what really is the truth about kindness at work? This week, we're investigating what kindness means in a leadership context, not just whether it works, but whether it's misunderstood, weaponized, or simply missing
[0:43] Leanne Elliott: And this week, we're joined by someone who's made this his mission. Jeff LeBlanc is a lecturer at Bentley University, a Forbes-featured leadership and workplace strategist, and creator of the Engaged Empathy Leadership Model. And this is the shift we want to explore this week. on Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture. We are brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. My name is Leanne. I'm a chartered occupational psychologist
[1:11] Al Elliott: My name is Al. I'm a business owner
[1:13] Leanne Elliott: And we'll be getting right into today's episode after a very short message from our sponsors. HubSpot's Inbound Event 2025 is bringing together the brightest minds in business, AI, and entrepreneurship. We're talking Amy Poehler, the genius behind ChatGPT, Dario Moridei, and Sean Evans from Hot Ones, because apparently even hot sauce interviews can teach us about business strategy
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[2:24] Leanne Elliott: Head to inbound.com/register to see the range of tickets, including VIP options. Fancy, fancy, fancy, fancy. Trust us, your future self will thank you for actually investing in learning something useful. Guess what, Al?
[2:36] Al Elliott: What?
[2:36] Leanne Elliott: We're gonna be there
[2:37] Al Elliott: No, we're not
[2:38] Leanne Elliott: I am. I'm manifesting
[2:39] Al Elliott: Oh, okay
[2:40] Jeff LeBlanc: Yeah, we're—
[2:40] Al Elliott: yeah, you can come and meet us there. There you go. That's the reason to, to go and book your ticket today. VIP experience will no doubt include us. I'd imagine they'd invite us to the VIP area. So go and visit inbound.com/register to get your ticket today. From what I've understood, from what you've told me before in my research, is that it is predominantly around kindness. Have I understood that?