This chaotic moment in history presents a golden opportunity to bring compassionate leadership into your organization. For courageous leaders ready to develop their own compassionate leadership capacities, this is the second of three posts offering a roadmap to developing these skills. This week we talk about the four dimensions to develop greater organizational compassionate cultures. Last week, we discussed four dimensions of greater personal capacity for compassionate leadership. Next week, we’ll take a look at the “how,” the tools and levers leaders can utilize to grow in all of these different dimensions.
Just as we asked, “What needs my attention to lead more compassionately?” as the starting point for developing stronger compassionate leadership skills on the individual level, we ask, “What needs my attention to create a more compassionate culture?” in order to develop greater organizational capacity for compassion. Compassionate cultures aren’t indulgent. They are not soft. In fact, they are more successful.
Such cultures create an awareness of what is happening within the organization as well as the external environment, and show how to respond in ways that simultaneously advance the organization’s mission while respecting the circumstances of each individual.
Psychological Safety
Psychological safety occurs, according to Dr. Amy Edmondson of Harvard Business School, when people feel “they can speak up, offer ideas, and ask questions without fear of being punished or embarrassed.” Appropriate risk-taking carries with it the chance for failure. The fear of failure can limit creativity and slow response times to new information.
Growth Mindset
Growth mindset helps separate good and bad behaviors from the idea that individuals are good or bad people. Compassionate leaders utilize a growth mindset to productively support good behaviors and lead people away from negative behaviors. Organizations with a growth mindset celebrate successes, but don’t dwell on them, and they take the opportunity to learn from their failures.
Belonging
Organizations that welcome a broad range of viewpoints and create true belonging for a diverse workforce are shown to be more creative, innovative, and successful. To achieve this, organizations must create a true sense of belonging, which is much more powerful than diversity, a numeric measure, or inclusion, which considers participation but ignores the depth of connection of team members in their participation.
Organizational Resilience
Resilient organizations emerge from periods of challenge stronger than before. An organization that is resilient will engage in behaviors that will also help its team members be resilient individually. Resilient organizations are characterized by their flexibility, their ability to look objectively out into the future to anticipate threats, and to carefully consider the past to learn from what has come before.
Now that you’ve read about the four dimensions that will contribute to compassionate culture, offer yourself time to reflect on how your organization might benefit from strengthening each of these areas. Perhaps one particular dimension stands out as needing the most urgent attention. Or maybe it’s hard to choose where to start.
Take time for reflection from a place of empowerment and centeredness. Let go of the fear, doubt, lack, and uncertainty that often diminishes our ability to forge ahead. This initial deep dive into our inner wisdom is what makes it possible to align our heart-centered values with where to place our attention for change in the organization and the greater good. We all need to remind ourselves over and over again, leading from the inside out is essential to activate true compassionate leadership and inspire organizational change.
As you make time and space for reflection, check in with how you feel about the potential impact of shifting the four dimensions, as well as what your thinking mind surfaces about each area. Feelings can be found in the body, so don’t hesitate to source your response from an embodied sense, not just your logical leadership mind. Learning to trust yourself, including your feelings and intuition, will accelerate your journey on the path towards becoming a truly compassionate leader.
We recommend that you focus on one area to begin developing your organization’s compassionate culture. Of course, many of us want to uplevel multiple aspects at the same time given our sense of urgency. However, know that the four dimensions are interconnected, so improvement in one will naturally start the wheels in motion elsewhere. Choose one dimension to work on for the next three to six months so you can bring the full force of your intention, focus, and attention to the chosen dimension.
Even the smallest change implemented with the right intention can show results quickly. Moving into action is the key, and your momentum will grow from there. In our work with a recent cohort of global leaders, several reported a notable shift in their team or at the senior management level with the introduction of even the simplest everyday practice such as opening a meeting with a reflective pause.
Cultures are especially challenging to shift, especially if you are in a large organization, or one where hierarchies are the dominant indicator of leadership status. The greater the challenge, the more passion and patience will be required to share your influence and impact. This may be the perfect time for activating new leadership ideas and methods as many organizations struggle in the wake of COVID. The sage wisdom of recognizing that breakdowns lead to breakthroughs is true for organizations as well as ourselves.
Chart your course, start your journey, and watch the change begin! As you ripple your compassion out into the world, please let us know if there is any way our community can support you along the way.