The urgency for compassionate leadership in this world is stronger than ever. For those interested in developing their own compassionate leadership capacities, with this week’s and the next two weeks’ blog posts we offer a roadmap to developing these skills. This week we will talk about the four dimensions to develop your personal capacity for compassionate leadership. Next week, we’ll explore the four organizational dimensions that create a more compassionate organizational culture. Lastly, we will take a look at the “how,” the tools and levers leaders can utilize to grow in these different dimensions.
Anyone can strengthen their compassionate leadership skills. We all have the capacity for compassion and have had that capacity from our earliest days as an infant. We also all have the capacity to lead, no matter what our position. Leadership can be defined as establishing, with others, a common goal and motivating others to make progress toward that shared goal. Leadership of this sort can be exhibited anywhere there are at least two people working together.
The process of building your roadmap starts with the inquiry, “What needs my attention to lead more compassionately?” When we activate this process with leaders around the globe, the first step is to mine the inner landscape to get beyond the thinking mind and ego and reflect from a grounded center. This initial deep dive into our internal dimensions is what makes it possible to align our heart-centered values with where to place our attention for change. Leading from the inside out is essential to activate true compassionate leadership.
Having grounded yourself, consider the following four dimensions to build your individual compassionate leadership.
Non-judgmental Awareness
Compassionate leadership requires leading from a place of non-judgmental awareness of all that is occurring. Our awareness helps us to act from a place of intentional response instead of instinctive reaction. Compassionate leaders work to develop their ability to stay calm and focused when difficult circumstances arise, and accept things as they are, focusing attention on what can be changed, and the ways to bring such change to life.
Self-compassion
Compassion for others always begins with compassion for yourself. You can’t give what you don’t have. If you are drained because of harsh self-judgment and a critical inner voice, you will not be able to be compassionate in your leadership. Self-compassion is the dimension most frequently prioritized for development by the leaders with whom we work.
Compassionate Communication
We communicate regularly in every aspect of our work. Are we communicating compassionately so that we set the foundation for compassion in all of our interactions? Compassionate leaders are clear and precise in their communication, ask good questions, and are particularly good at listening.
Belonging for All
Compassion needs to be for everyone, yet our evolutionary origins cause us to initially feel more comfortable with people most like us. We can overcome this default position of wanting to include those most like us by making intentional choices that overcome our primitive reactions. Compassionate leaders are intentional about creating personal connections with a broad array of colleagues, not just those who look like them or have had similar life experiences.
Now that you’ve read about the four dimensions, offer yourself time to reflect on how you might benefit from developing your skills and capacities in each of these areas. Perhaps one dimension calls loudly for your attention. Or maybe it’s hard to choose where to start. Check in with how you feel about these, as well as what you think about each area. Feelings can be found in the body, so don’t hesitate to source your own inspiration from a place deep within. Learning to trust yourself and your intuition will enable you more ease and flow as you move down the path.
We suggest one area of focus to begin your compassionate leadership development journey even though we’d probably like to upgrade all four in one fell, fast swoop. Choose one individual dimension to work on for the next three to six months, and begin to reap the benefits of even small changes. Moving into action is the key, and your momentum will grow from there.
Covering this territory takes time and patience, so be kind with yourself as you map out your first priority. Remember this is your roadmap, and you have the power to shift direction as circumstances or your inner guidance suggests. Also know that this is not a solo journey – we all need the support of like-minded family, friends, communities, and colleagues to travel this terrain.
We are honored to be with you on this path of bringing compassionate leadership forward in the world.