What is compassionate leadership and how can we practice it? Compassion is being sympathetic to the conditions of others, coupled with a desire to help them. Compassionate leadership is simply applying that sympathy towards colleagues, direct reports, or anyone else we may directly or indirectly lead.

What are some ways we can exhibit compassionate leadership? One way is removing barriers or blockers to help team members be successful. Leaders may have more visibility, a louder voice in the work setting, and are often empowered to do more to enable the success of their team. Sometimes these are small things, like help re-prioritizing. And sometimes it comes in the form of navigating organizational politics, for the good of the team.

Another way to exhibit compassion is candor with teammates, which should always be done in a constructive manner. Setting clear expectations and measuring against them helps people understand where they are excelling and where they may need to improve. Ambiguity does not set people up for success. Candor is kind!

Enter scene: the Great Resignation. Now, how does that tie in with compassion? If compassionate leadership was important and impactful before, it is even more so now. Personal struggles, heightened emotions, growing frustrations, reevaluation of priorities, and mental health are some of the reasons why being understanding and accommodating are even more important now than ever before.

When done right and in conjunction with other leadership traits, compassion will foster TRUST, LOYALTY and set your team up for SUCCESS. If you’re not sure where to start or you already know you need help to further develop your own or your organization’s leadership team, reach out to us! Click: CONTACT US button.