The Hard Truth About Soft Skills

This may sound like a business story more than a wellbeing one, but read on, and you’ll see how the two are deeply connected.

Sunny Bindra recently wrote that empathy is the missing code in customer experience, and it lingered in my mind. Because in a world driven by targets, deadlines and constant motion, empathy still sounds like something soft, optional, a “nice to have” - something we’ll get to when there’s time. But what if it’s actually the hardest, most strategic skill of all?

The story of Starbucks makes this clear. In the early 2000s, after years of success, Howard Schultz stepped away from the company he built with heart. Under new leadership, Starbucks grew fast - stores opening almost daily, efficiency becoming the mantra. The numbers looked impressive. But somewhere between speed and scale, the soul of the company slipped away. The coffee still tasted the same, but the warmth was gone. Baristas felt like cogs in a system. Customers stopped lingering. The brand that once sold belonging had turned into a transaction. As Schultz later said, “We lost our soul.”

When he returned as CEO in 2008, his first act wasn’t about profit, cost-cutting or marketing. It was to listen. He shut down all 7,100 U.S. stores for one evening - not to teach new techniques, but to reconnect people to purpose. He restored healthcare for part-timers, called every employee a partner, and later launched a program to fund their college education. He reminded his people they weren’t just serving coffee - they were serving connection. As he famously said, “We’re not in the coffee business serving people. We’re in the people business serving coffee.”

The results spoke louder than any campaign. Morale lifted. Customers returned. And over the next decade, the company’s stock price rose tenfold. Empathy, not efficiency, brought Starbucks back to life. Schultz showed that when people feel cared for, they care more.

This is something commonly seen in many organisations, including here in Kenya. Leaders chase growth, scale and systems, believing those are the engines of success. But when people feel unseen, the spark that drives those systems fades. You can’t build loyalty on exhaustion. You can’t build creativity on fear. And you can’t build culture on disconnection.

EY’s global study found that 86% of employees say empathy from their leaders boosts morale, and 87% believe it drives inclusion and retention. McKinsey reports that teams led with empathy are more innovative and resilient. The numbers only confirm what the heart already knows: people give their best when they feel seen.

There are many ways to build a culture that truly puts people first, and Schultz’s actions are just one example. But it starts with a mindset shift. Too often, wellness is seen as something superficial - gym memberships, health check-ups, wellness talks. Those things have their place, but real wellness goes deeper. It’s about creating the conditions where people feel balanced, connected and alive. When that inner state is healthy, qualities like empathy, patience and creativity naturally rise to the surface.

Starbucks seems to understand this too. Beyond policies and benefits, they’ve introduced Headspace mindfulness access for all employees, along with mental-health training and therapy support for partners and their families. These aren’t perks - they’re pathways. Because when people learn to pause, breathe and be present, they start showing up differently. They listen better. They connect more deeply. And that’s where empathy begins.

Enlightened leaders and teams already understand empathy in theory. The real challenge is helping it take root - turning understanding into behaviour, and behaviour into culture, across teams, leaders, the whole system. That’s why we created our transformational journey, REBOOT — it does the hard thing many have known is important but never quite knew how to achieve.

Starbucks didn’t need more coffee machines. It needed more connection. And so do we. Because the most successful organisations won’t be the ones that automate the fastest - they’ll be the ones that stay the most human.