Winning the Right Way: Leadership That Lasts

The "win at any cost" mentality is creeping into business culture, however the most successful leaders know there’s a better path. Here’s how to build lasting success without sacrificing decency or long-term value—and why it’ll succeed.

  • People-first cultures drive profitability – NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang puts it simply: “Take care of people, and everything else takes care of itself.” Respect and well-being aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re competitive advantages.

  • Long-term thinking beats short-term exploitation – Burning out employees or cutting ethical corners for quick wins is a losing strategy. Sustainable success means balancing results with responsibility.

  • Radical honesty ≠ cruelty – Direct feedback is valuable, but disrespect and hostility destroy trust. High-performing teams thrive on psychological safety, not fear.

  • "AND" over "OR" – You can deliver shareholder value AND treat employees well. The best companies prove these aren’t trade-offs.

  • Healthy competition, not destruction – Striving to be the best doesn’t require tearing others down. The strongest leaders build up their teams—and their industries.

    The Culture Shift Happening Now

  • Even satire is noticing the change. In South Park’s latest season, Eric Cartman—a character who once thrived on being the worst version of himself—struggles to find purpose in a world where outright hostility is becoming normalized. The show’s point? How we treat people matters. It’s not about old political debates—it’s about whether we choose decency or dysfunction.

  • The best leaders recognize this moment. They know that sustainable success comes from valuing people, not just profits.

    A Call For Leaders:

  • Ethical, people-first companies outperform their cutthroat competitors.

  • Challenge the "zero-sum" mindset. Success isn’t about exploiting others—it’s about creating value for all stakeholders.

  • Lead with purpose. Profit follows when you build something meaningful, not just extractive.

It’s possible to create massive value for investors and care for people too. It’s an AND not instead of. Why hide behind AI and every other excuse to grind the heck out of people without caring for them? Find a way forward to win by advancing people and all stakeholders. That’s real leadership! 

Garrett’s View: Workplace demeanor might be overlooked as well. If you’re leading with confidence and positivity, living your purpose and values, your employees will communicate the same to customers. If your projection is lackluster, guess how that’s going to express itself down the line?

AI Response: The numbers don’t lie: Companies with strong ethical cultures outperform peers by 40% in market value (Ethisphere, 2023), while Gallup found that teams with high psychological safety show 21% higher profitability. Research in Harvard Business Review reveals that "give-and-take" workplaces (not zero-sum) see 50% lower turnover and 2x innovation rates. Even NVIDIA’s people-first approach aligns with hard data—Great Place to Work reports that employee-centric firms grow revenues 3x faster than competitors. The choice is clear: sustainable success isn’t just ethical, it’s mathematically smarter.