There are always going to be people who really push our buttons. Our natural, conditioned reaction when they shove in the wrong direction is to push back harder the other way. Rarely is this the most helpful response. Compassion as the response to difficult behaviors is the counterintuitive solution that leads to safety, connection, and belonging for all.
No one gets a pass. Not world-class athletes, CEOs, essential workers, parents, teachers, or our kids. We all suffer. We also have a choice about how we respond to suffering through our leadership. We can choose to work together to find a response, or we can turn away. What kind of culture are you modeling and creating in your organization?
What we perceive in others impacts how we respond to them. What do you see when you look at another human being? Do you see characteristics that differentiate you and the other person, or do you see traits that are the same? Are you able and willing to see both the difference and the commonality? Compassionate leaders know the importance of seeing both through ongoing practice.
The urgency for compassionate leadership in this world is stronger than ever. For those interested in developing their own compassionate leadership capacities, we offer a roadmap to developing these skills over the next three weeks. This week’s post covers four dimensions of individual compassionate leadership, and will be followed by posts on organizational dimensions, and the tools to use to develop your skills.
Psychological safety has been shown to be the single most valuable characteristic contributing to team performance. Compassionate leaders have an important role to play for the benefit of their teams and their organizations through the creation of psychologically safe environments. Here are three compassionate leadership principles to lay the foundation of safety in your organization.
Do you feel forced to choose between your well-being, caring for others, and delivering peak performance? By leading with compassion, we can thrive in all aspects of personal and professional life. We highlight three hallmarks of compassionate leadership that can elevate your teams and organizations to experience less stress, greater flourishing, and higher performance.
Exclusion and othering are as old as humanity, with tragic impacts. The marginalized suffer violence, poorer health outcomes, shorter lifespans, food insecurity, reduced access to work and housing, and routine indignities in everyday interactions. There is hope, however. The same neuroscience that explains our urge to other also shows us the way forward and away from othering.
