This is Part 2 of the 4 Fundamentals to Transform Your Leadership series. Part 1-First, See Past Your Filters explored the importance of cultivating Clarity. This blog will explore the role of compassion.
Compassion may not be the first leadership characteristic that comes to mind when you think of everyday leadership performance, but when you think of examples of leadership excellence, it may very well be the one that rises to the top. Why is that? What does compassion have to do with great leadership?
Let’s take a step back and define “compassion.” Compassion arises when there is a deep understanding of the challenges being faced by others, and with that deep understanding comes a pull toward an act of kindness.
Embodying compassion in your development of mindful leadership often results in an ability for you to break out of the ordinary and lead in a way that is a win for the organization, a win for employees and a win for the “big picture.” Compassionate leadership is a form of inspirational leadership, and it can show up in many ways. It might arise as an innovative approach that finds a way to meet business objectives and simultaneously address a need in the community. It might arise in the form of a willingness to take a courageous stand to develop new work environments that support the needs of employees while still “getting the job done.” It might arise as an innovative idea that sparks business success and arises from a new and deeper understanding of a cultural or racial difference. There really is no limit on the number of places and times that you can bring compassion to a situation.
But, if you are having some doubts about where you might bring compassion into your leadership, you may want to start with an experiment in self-compassion. Self-compassion is often the most difficult kind of compassion for leaders to embody, but it is the best place to start learning about compassionate leadership.
Let’s begin by removing some of the misunderstandings about compassion. First, compassion is not a ‘soft skill’. In fact, compassion very often requires great courage and strength. Second, self-compassion is not “selfish.” For the best leaders, this misunderstanding emanates from a desire to take care of others. And that is a laudable way of being. We do want leaders who are not self-centered and egotistical. Self-care and self-compassion are not selfish acts, nor are they barriers to leadership excellence. They are the foundations of great leaders. In the process of dropping in on ourselves to observe what challenges are here, and how they might be alleviated, we learn a great deal about humanity in general. And when we have the courage to experiment with offering ourselves an act of kindness, we experience for ourselves the powerful, transformative impact of compassion.
See for yourself: Take a few minutes to sit quietly and check in with your body. Allow yourself to be open and curious about what you are noticing. What sensations are here to be noticed? Tightness in your jaw, headache, overall tiredness, flutters in your stomach, queasiness…what do you feel? Then ask yourself, “What else do I know about this feeling?” There is no need to begin a lengthy investigation, just see what arises as you sit quietly with this question.
Be patient and allow yourself a few minutes to see what arises. Try not to edit what arises, just stay open to it. Now, what is the act of kindness you are pulled toward to be self-compassionate? Some common answers include: “I need to say ‘no’ sometimes,” “I need to go to bed earlier,” “I would like to make food choices that nourish my body,” “I need to learn to pay less attention to the critical voice in my head,” and “I need to make time to connect more with people I care about and disconnect from my phone.”
Whatever arises for you, plan to take one small step toward making a change. There is no need to try to make drastic changes. What is one small step you want to take, one small change? What do you notice? Try again or modify your step and then try again. As with all the mindful leadership fundamentals we are exploring (focus, clarity, creativity and compassion), you will want to be patient with yourself. Self-compassion is new for many of us and it will take some time to make these changes a regular part of your life. But, aren’t you worth it?
Next time we will explore the role of Creativity and the ways that you can cultivate your ability to be more innovative. See you then!Let’s begin by removing some of the misunderstandings about compassion. First, compassion is not a ‘soft skill’. In fact, compassion very often requires great courage and strength. Second, self-compassion is not “selfish.” For the best leaders, this misunderstanding emanates from a desire to take care of others. And that is a laudable way of being. We do want leaders who are not self-centered and egotistical. Self-care and self-compassion are not selfish acts, nor are they barriers to leadership excellence. They are the foundations of great leaders. In the process of dropping in on ourselves to observe what challenges are here, and how they might be alleviated, we learn a great deal about humanity in general. And when we have the courage to experiment with offering ourselves an act of kindness, we experience for ourselves the powerful, transformative impact of compassion.
See for yourself: Take a few minutes to sit quietly and check in with your body. Allow yourself to be open and curious about what you are noticing. What sensations are here to be noticed? Tightness in your jaw, headache, overall tiredness, flutters in your stomach, queasiness…what do you feel? Then ask yourself, “What else do I know about this feeling?” There is no need to begin a lengthy investigation, just see what arises as you sit quietly with this question.
Be patient and allow yourself a few minutes to see what arises. Try not to edit what arises, just stay open to it. Now, what is the act of kindness you are pulled toward to be self-compassionate? Some common answers include: “I need to say ‘no’ sometimes,” “I need to go to bed earlier,” “I would like to make food choices that nourish my body,” “I need to learn to pay less attention to the critical voice in my head,” and “I need to make time to connect more with people I care about and disconnect from my phone.”
Whatever arises for you, plan to take one small step toward making a change. There is no need to try to make drastic changes. What is one small step you want to take, one small change? What do you notice? Try again or modify your step and then try again. As with all the mindful leadership fundamentals we are exploring (focus, clarity, creativity and compassion), you will want to be patient with yourself. Self-compassion is new for many of us and it will take some time to make these changes a regular part of your life. But, aren’t you worth it?
This was part two of a four part series. Links to the other blogs can be found below.
Part 2: Are You a Compassionate Leader?