The pattern of these two proverbs is “kind woman / cruel man // kind man / ruthless man.” By itself v. 16 could be read cynically (“A kind woman gets respect, but a cruel man gets rich” [the word “only” is not in the text]) to justify unscrupulous behavior. In conjunction with v. 17, however, the self-destructive nature of the “hard-nosed” approach to life is apparent.
Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, vol. 14, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 126.
By translating אִישׁ in 11:17 in a gender-neutral manner—”Those who are kind” (NRSV, NIV 2011), “A merciful person” (NASB 2020), “Kind persons” (CEB)—the parallel with “A gracious woman” in 11:16 is missed. I find that too often gender-neutral translations miss how the Bible highlights men and women in its metaphors and proverbs.