Learning the principles of compassion and leadership are important steps on the journey to developing a meaningful compassionate leadership practice. Understanding and doing, however, are two different things. Those who want to show up as truly compassionate leaders need to integrate these principles and practices into their whole life so that is who they become. It’s a constant process of evolution and growth that helps us develop our full potential.
Acknowledge reality for what it is.
There is no benefit to turning a blind eye to whatever is uncomfortable in any given moment. The present moment is all that we have. No amount of wishing for something different will change that.
Unfortunately, the world sends loud messages that contradict this simple truth. Social media offers a never-ending stream of carefully edited reflections of other people’s present moment and it sure makes it seem like our moment is coming up short. Modern marketing bombards us with messages that imply that fulfillment is simple – just buy a given product.
No one’s real life looks like an edited Instagram feed or a beer commercial. Pain and challenges are part of life and acknowledging that allows us to move forward in facing the difficulties. Practicing this is very difficult, but our suffering most often arises from resisting the difficulty, rather than the difficulty itself.
Recognize that the solution lies within.
Our life is our best teacher if we will allow it to be. We may be conditioned to think solutions exists outside ourselves, and so we are often on the journey of looking for the right answer from somewhere, someone, or something. Solutions arise from the inside out.
We learn how to trust our inner compass by acquiring skills and knowledge over time. The wisdom of discernment and knowing how to respond in any situation, can only be developed through dedicated practice over an ongoing period of time.
You can’t do this by yourself.
While we come to know our inner strength and trust our answers from within, the support of other like-minded allies and community provide the essential encouragement we need to travel this courageous path. Even a community of one other wise person can make all the difference. This is especially true in the world of organizations, where acknowledgement of the difficulty is often met with judgment or blame.
Connection to our challenges is a very human process. Institutions, policies, and procedures, while constructed by humans, are one step removed from true humanity. Handling our struggles requires an authentic reflection of other people to validate our experiences and help us understand we are not struggling alone.
As Ram Dass said, “We are all just walking each other home.” The sooner we recognize that we all share a common human experience, the sooner we can get to work on the task of supporting each other in this remarkable journey of being human.
Practice, practice, practice.
Leaders live in the world of goals and outcomes, the world of finish lines. Compassion lives in the world of ongoing connection and non-attachment. The way to bring those two worlds together is by simply taking one step at a time, over and over. Every moment of compassion becomes its own achievement. The external goals and outcomes aren’t compromised by the focus on each moment. In fact, they are achieved more easefully and successfully.
Every moment of practice that leads to a moment of compassion builds capacity for more compassion. Then the line between practicing and life dissolves. All life becomes practice. All life becomes compassionate leadership.
Photo Credit: Rodnae Productions from Pexels.