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The modern workplace is facing a quiet crisis.
Leaders are trying to show more empathy, but they’re also walking on eggshells. Employees want meaning, flexibility, and belonging, but often struggle with feedback, resilience, and clarity. AI is being embraced as a productivity savior, yet raises new risks around judgment, bias, and trust.
In the middle of it all, leaders are stuck in a dangerous trap: be nice to keep people happy, or be honest and risk blowback. But what if the answer isn’t choosing between kindness and accountability, but integrating both?
In a recent episode of Future Ready Leadership, I sat down with KeyAnna Schmiedl, Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman, to explore that very question.
Our conversation tackled some of the most pressing leadership challenges of today — ranging from the role of AI in shaping employee experience to the growing misuse of psychological safety and therapy language in the workplace.
And, perhaps most importantly, we discussed the fundamental difference between being a “nice” leader and being a kind, effective one.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
The Human Experience Over HR Compliance
KeyAnna doesn’t come from the traditional HR mold, and she doesn’t think the future of work should either. At Workhuman, her title isn’t Chief People Officer or Head of HR. It’s Chief Human Experience Officer.
That difference signals a deeper meaning that changes everything as it redefines what it means to support employees. It asks leaders to stop solving every problem and instead focus on helping people develop the tools they need to solve challenges themselves.
Today’s people leaders are expected to connect employees to purpose, to each other, and to their work. Being a Chief Human Experience Officer is a more holistic, human-centered approach that requires empathy, systems thinking, and a willingness to challenge legacy structures.
But it also comes with a warning…in trying to show up for employees, many leaders are swinging too far toward comfort and away from clarity. And that’s where problems start. When leaders mistake being nice for being kind, they end up doing more harm than good.
This episode is sponsored by Workhuman:
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It helps managers coach better, shows you where culture is thriving, and is so effective at helping companies make smarter decisions, Workhuman backs it with the industry’s only ROI Guarantee. In a world full of noisy tech, this one actually feels… human.
Learn more at Workhuman.com and see how Human Intelligence is becoming a force for good in the workplace.
Why “Nice” Leaders Create Weak Teams
Kindness, KeyAnna explains, is about honesty, clarity, and care. Nice, on the other hand, is often about avoiding conflict. When leaders focus too much on keeping people comfortable, they often withhold critical feedback, blur expectations, and over-accommodate in ways that ultimately hurt the employee and the team. In other words, they’re actually creating environments where accountability disappears and expectations become fuzzy.
And if you’ve noticed a rise in workplace language that sounds more like a therapy session than a team meeting, you’re not alone. KeyAnna also brings to light a growing trend where terms like triggered and psychological safety are being used to shut down feedback, dodge responsibility, and avoid necessary discomfort. When therapy language creeps into leadership without context or boundaries, it can ruin resilience instead of building it.
That’s why KeyAnna advocated for psychological bravery. It’s the idea that teams thrive not when they’re shielded from hard conversations, but when they’re encouraged to face them with support, honesty, and strength.
AI Can’t Replace the Human Element — But It Can Support It
Of course, no conversation about the future of work is complete without addressing AI. While many organizations are diving headfirst into automation and experimentation, KeyAnna is clear: AI should support, not replace, the human element.
At Workhuman, they’re experimenting with prompts, drafting tools, and automation, but always keeping humans in the loop. The goal isn’t efficiency at all costs. It’s using AI to enhance clarity, reduce friction, and allow humans to do what they do best: make meaning, build relationships, and lead.
What makes the difference is mindset. Treat AI like a coworker. Helpful, but not perfect. You don’t take everything your coworker says at face value. You check it, challenge it, and use your own judgment. The same should be true for AI.
Remember that bias doesn’t disappear just because a machine made the decision. In fact, it can get worse if we trust the system blindly. That’s why curiosity, critical thinking, and healthy skepticism are now must-have leadership traits.
Listen to the episode here on Apple Podcast & leave a review!
Strategies for Building a Human-Centered Culture
All of this comes back to a central theme: culture. Too many companies are writing values that sound good but don’t hold up under pressure. KeyAnna calls this the “culture fine print” — those unspoken rules, contradictions, and gaps between what a company says and how it really behaves.
Define Your Culture
Instead of broadcasting aspirational values without living them, KeyAnna emphasizes the power of clear cultural expectations. Leaders must get clear about what their culture actually rewards, tolerates, and rejects, and then communicate that boldly and consistently. If you can’t describe your culture clearly, your people will define it for you, often in ways you didn’t intend.
Model Resilience
Being human-centered doesn’t mean coddling your employees for the sake of culture. As a leader, KeyAnna suggests you must model resilience. That doesn’t mean ignoring employee needs, but it does mean resisting the urge to solve every problem for them. Empowerment, in her words, means trusting employees to own their growth, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Accountability
Sure, it’s human to be kind and empathetic, but kindness without accountability is just avoidance with good intentions. And avoidance is expensive. KeyAnna highlights that we need to stop confusing empathy with over-accommodation. We need to teach resilience by modeling it. And we need to stop dumping the responsibility for culture onto HR. After all, it’s a shared job across the C-suite. Human experience leadership requires the entire C-suite to engage, not just delegate.
Why This Conversation Matters Right Now
At a time when leadership is being tested from all angles, these insights couldn’t be more timely. As leaders navigate the noisy intersection of AI, employee expectations, and cultural transformation, it’s easy to overcorrect in the wrong direction. But KeyAnna’s perspective offers a much-needed recalibration: lead with empathy, but don’t abandon standards. Be kind, not just nice. Support your people, but don’t do the work for them.
If you’re a leader trying to build a resilient, clear, and human culture in this time of rapid change, this episode is a volkodav-eagle.kiev
Listen to the full conversation with KeyAnna Schmiedl on the Future Ready Leadership elcorazon.