The relationship between compassion and perceived time pressure has been known for a long time. From the well-known study, “From Jerusalem to Jericho” nearly fifty years ago, to our research with participants in our training cohorts, the feeling that there is not enough time impairs one’s ability to act compassionately. Ironically, the solution doesn’t come from working faster, but in slowing down.
When people hear “compassion,” they often think of the nurturing and kind qualities that are an important part of compassion. Compassion, however, is much more than that. Each of the elements of compassion – awareness, connection, empathy, and action – offer paradoxical tensions that fierce compassionate leaders bring into harmony to raise teams and organizations to new levels of performance.
Happy Earth Day 2021! Earth Day reminds us of the interconnection of everyone and everything, and the opportunity to reflect on how that profound wisdom can influence our lives and our leadership. Today, and every day, take a pause to acknowledge this amazing globe on which we live and the role we play in sustaining it.
Every organization, every team, everyone faces failure at different times. How we respond can make all the difference in how quickly we bounce back and learn to innovate in the future. In many organizations or teams, the typical response to negative events is shame and blame. To create resilient, learning cultures, leaders need instead to respond with compassionate actions.
As the days get longer in the northern hemisphere, the signs of new life emerge all over. Farmers and gardeners turn their attention to planting new seeds as the first step to a rich harvest. Let’s align ourselves with the seasonal cycle of the planet and plant seeds of compassion for a harvest of healing and flourishing. These seeds are readily available, and with patience and wisdom, will return many times over the effort they require to plant.
The Women’s Global Compassion Gathering on March 28 welcomed participants from forty-one different countries around the world. Presentations from Kenya Casey, of The Carter Center, Liz Grant of the University of Edinburgh, and Monica Worline of Stanford University were interspersed with time for community reflection, sharing intentions and poetry, and restoration.
In surveys of participants in our Compassionate Leadership and Resilience Training program, the number one hurdle to leading more compassionately is shown to be “excess demands on my time.” Where will more time come from to learn to lead compassionately? The process for growing compassion is different from that for growing other skills. You can start growing your compassion today.
Learning the principles of compassion and leadership are important steps on the journey to developing a meaningful compassionate leadership practice. Understanding and doing, however, are two different things. Those who want to show up as truly compassionate leaders need to integrate these principles and practices into their whole life so that is who they become.
Psychology is a science. Writing about psychology, however, is an art. It takes a gifted writer to describe human nature and the complex human brain in engaging, expressive prose. In The Gifts of Compassion: How to understand and overcome suffering, Stan Steindl, PhD, displays the artistry of a storyteller backed by the knowledge and scientific grounding of a University professor.
