We choose our work based on its alignment with our own values and needs. We naturally identify with work in valuable and healthy ways. If we take this identification too far, it can become harmful. Overidentification can have harmful impacts on both our personal and our professional lives. Foundational practices of inner compassion can support compassionate leaders in avoiding the pitfalls of overidentifying with work.
We are a competitive species. Sometimes so much so that we work well past the point of flourishing. Can we courageously make choices in our leadership and life that support thriving for ourselves and for the whole world. To do this, we need to overcome our impulse to perfectionism and the difficulty we have setting healthy boundaries.
Over the past few years, we’ve surveyed hundreds of leaders in our training programs and retreats about the most challenging barriers they face to leading more compassionately. In the weeks ahead, we will explore the barriers to compassionate leadership and ways that these challenges may be overcome. Some are fairly straightforward and to be expected, while others may seem counterintuitive. Which barriers show up in your leadership?
