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Compassionate Leadership - Initial
Compassionate Leadership - Initial
Empathy means that you feel what a person is feeling (using cognitive skills &
emotional intelligence)
Empathy is a gateway to compassion
Compassion: It takes empathy and sympathy a step further. When you are
compassionate, you recognize that the person is in pain (i.e., sympathy) or you feel
the pain of another (i.e. empathy) and then you do your best to alleviate the
person’s suffering from that situation.
Compassionate people often have other
positive traits like generosity, kindness, and
understanding. People who are compassionate
feel the need to impact the world around them
in positive ways
Generally compassion is a four step process:
1. Awareness of suffering.
2. Sympathetic concern related to being
emotionally moved by suffering.
3. Wish to see the relief of that suffering.
4. Responsiveness or readiness to help relieve that suffering.
Dalai Lama said, “When we are motivated by compassion and wisdom, the
results of our actions benefit everyone, not just ourselves or some immediate
convenience.” Compassionate leadership has an in-built aspect of being a
compassionate individual.
The Compassionate Leadership Model
The Compassion Workplace Model of Roffey Park stated that there
are five aspects of compassionate leadership and management:
The compassionate leadership model emphasizes the here and now aspect of
leadership. That compassionate leader should be mindful of the present situation,
and the current requirements of the organizations is a vital requisite here
3 Pillars of Compassionate Leadership
1. The Cognitive Pillar
Jinpa said that to succeed as a compassionate leader, one must open your cognizance to
understanding the problems and situations of your employees. A compassionate leader
should have facts checked at all times, and be ready to connect and support the team to
flourish. The cognitive pillar indicates clarity of thoughts, the absence of prejudices and
thought blocks, and the openness to accept the viewpoints of others.
2. The Affective Pillar
The affective or the emotional pillar touches base with how the leader truly feels about
people she works with. Compassionate leaders should have the power to identify the
emotional distress of their subordinates and acknowledge their feelings. They should be
insightful and understanding about why their team is underperforming and how they can
help the team to bounce back from it.
People who work for an emotionally aware leader accept that merely knowing about how
much their leader cares, motivates them to enhance their performance, and they feel more
respected as a part of the company.
3. The Motivational Pillar
The professional and personal development of each member of the organization should be a
personal agenda for a compassionate leader. The motivational pillar is all about building a
strong connection with the employees and letting positive energy flow in both directions. As
mentioned earlier, the main idea is to follow the shift of focus from ‘I’ to ‘we’.
Traits Of A Compassionate Leader
A compassionate leader shows the following traits typically:
• Compassionate leaders are always open to learning and accepting their limitations. They
accept feedbacks and are self-driven to improve their skills.
• Compassionate leaders are approachable. They are comfortable to talk to, and employees
find it easy to access them for any difficulties they face at the workplace.
• They are aware of the requirements of the team and the organization.
• Compassionate leaders have a robust ethical code; they respect values and implement moral
ethics as a part of the performance culture, which helps in fostering loyalty and dedication in
workers at all levels.
• Compassionate leaders are solution-focused. They try to explore the causes of personal
underachievements or failures of his team as a whole, and rely more on employing resources
to solve the issue rather than criticizing or tormenting the individuals for their mistakes.
• The prime focus of a compassionate leader is to influence, and not to dictate.
• Compassionate leaders are passionate and dedicated to their work and their team. They
genuinely love what they do and are equally committed to the people who work for them.
• Compassionate leaders are always there to support and guide to their team. Irrespective of
how hard the situation may be, they proactively plunge in to help the team and share their
part of the responsibility for each success or failure.
How To Best Demonstrate Compassion As A
Leader
• 1. Slow down when you need to
• 2. Never stop asking
• 3. Empathize every day
• 4. Be open to change
• Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn since 2008, has his unique take on compassionate
leadership. After serving several well-reputed organizations in leading positions, Jeff
revealed that the secret to his success in maintaining and running this incredibly rewarding
company is compassionate leadership. Weiner refers to compassionate leadership to have
‘an incredible competitive advantage’ over all other forms of professional strategies.
• Jeff Weiner’s discussions on workplace compassion reveal that kindness and empathy
brought a spiritual aspect to his professional life.
• Compassion taught him the true meaning of success, and that was when he began
implementing his core values into work.
• According to him, to be a compassionate leader, we have to feel and show compassion in all
other aspects of our lives as well. Weiner, in his musings, dedicated a share of his
leadership success to his loving partner and their fruitful marriage.
• Weiner’s revelations indicated that compassion could be learned and improved over time. If
we have the will to imbibe it into our working strategy, there is plenty of help available out
there. Jeff Weiner is a reassuring and lively example to us of the fruits compassionate
leadership can bear.
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