With the turning of the calendar year we are often invited to reflect, to plan, and to set intentions for the next twelve months. When done well, these rituals and practices can motivate us, ground us in our current realities, and plant seeds for possibilities.
Compassionate leaders know there is space between where we are and what we wish to have happen. In those gaps exist objectives, goals, and strategies. In the same space is also room for compassion for ourselves and others. What could the next year look like if you look through the lens of curiosity for your leadership?
Compassionate leadership is centered in curiosity. As we talk to leaders around the world across hundreds of organizations, we see widely shared, common themes in the questions asked when considering how to create sustainable changes that honor people and the demands of a quickly changing landscape.
Here are some of the curiosities recent participants in our programs have expressed. Do any of these pique your own curiosity? What might you discover when you explore through these inquiries to deepen your own compassionate leadership?
What is compassion? How is this model different?
What is the difference between empathy and compassion?
How can I sustain compassion over time?
How does compassionate leadership intertwine with empathy, pity and sympathy?
What could this mean for me?
How do I take good care of myself while trying to be compassionate with everybody else?
Do I have to be a good person to lead compassionately?
How does one view competing needs, priorities, wants, desires among employees through the lens of compassion? What does it look like to do work compassionately? And how does compassion help produce the kinds of results leaders tend to care about (productivity, completed projects, etc.)?
What could this mean for the team I lead?
How do we assist someone who isn't naturally compassionate to move to using compassion in leadership?
How does compassionate leadership hold people accountable (both the people we supervise and those who supervise us)?
How can I maintain compassion when working with colleagues who are very resistant and unkind?
How does this work in my organization?
Is there a different way to share compassionate leadership in person vs. hybrid or fully remote leadership?
What are some approaches to create spaces of compassion when dealing with conflict and having hard conversations?
How do I take the theory of compassionate leadership into practice to make concrete changes in my work?
What questions would you want to add to the ones above? Curiosity is a core competence that will richly enhance your awareness of another and your compassionate leadership skills.
As you think about your intentions and hopes for the year ahead, know that powerful questions are a perfect place to start. And as your curiosity grows, we welcome your participation in this global community of compassionate leaders to support one another and explore solutions together.
We hope to see you in the year ahead at community gatherings, on our social channels, in our certification trainings, and in our Teacher Training track. The trust and safety we share in the community makes it possible for each of us to stay inspired and on purpose to create the more compassionate world we desire to see.