We are all wired with the same desires – to feel safe, to be loved. These needs put us on paths to seek connection and offer opportunities for our purest expressions of our humanity. There are many things that impede our attempts at getting these needs met. When leaders strive to create cultures of safety, connection, and belonging, we are meeting those core human needs. This is no easy feat.
Organizations that prioritize compassion, safety, connection and belonging are still in the minority and countercultural to our traditional organizational and belief systems. The community of dedicated compassionate leaders who want to contribute to a more compassionate world still faces many challenges within mainstream work culture. How do we continue to stay resourced and motivated? Find out...
What do we think of when we think of enemies? We understand opposites and how they pull in directions that conflict with each other. It isn’t only opposites that can undermine your efforts. Consider the idea of a “near enemy” – something that seems like it should support an intention but actually weakens it. When it comes to compassionate leadership, there are many near enemies. Let’s explore...
When we ask people at the start of our trainings about their curiosities around compassionate leadership, one of the most common questions is, “How can I be a compassionate leader and hold people accountable?” At the Center, compassion and accountability are completely aligned. Discover the five Cs of accountability – five contributors to holding people accountable while leading compassionately.
Compassionate leaders are well-served by integrating head, heart, and body knowledge. One of our favorite ways of strengthening our head knowledge is curling up with a well-written book and exploring the themes and wisdom within. Here are a few recent reads that would be valuable for any compassionate leader to dig into.
One of the most common questions we are asked at the Center for Compassionate Leadership is, “What do I do if my boss is not compassionate?” Navigating a compassionate path with an uncompassionate boss or other person is never easy. Let’s explore how to courageously take on this challenge, and in so doing, perhaps discover a new level of mastery in compassionate leadership.
Our drive to achieve and accumulate comes from a place of wanting to create safety. It also comes with a terrible cost. The more we succeed at setting ourselves apart, the lonelier it becomes. The good news is that we are also wired to care for each other. Recognizing our interconnectedness supports us in leading in order to thrive individually, in communities, and in organizations.
The journey of life and leadership is a never-ending series of cycles, requiring different optimal action depending on the circumstances. There are two constants central to the work of every compassionate leader: self-compassion and the recognition of our shared common humanity. These two provide a powerful foundation for compassionate leaders to act, and guide their choice of the approach to use.
For twenty years, Kristin Neff has been the leading voice in the field of self-compassion. Her groundbreaking 2003 research paper founded the field, and her first book brought the practice to the broader world. Now, with Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive, Neff brings our understanding of self-compassion to a whole new level.
The anger and hate currently growing in the United States are deeply troubling. But how do we respond? It takes a great deal of courage to resist the urge to scream back at someone screaming at you, but that is exactly what we need to do. Take these four steps to use your compassion to respond productively to hate.
