Compassion for Leaders

How well do you bring compassion into your leadership?

‍Take our mini-assessment to find out.

Reflect on each statement and select an honest response. No registration required and your answers are anonymous.

30-35: As a leader, you have a genuine care for people’s feelings and well-being. Even amidst busyness, you make time to connect with team members on a personal level, and when tough action is needed, you deliver it in a kind and considerate way. This helps cultivate happier and healthier teams and a more human organizational culture. If you wish to strengthen your compassion even further, read our tips below.

24-29: You bring compassion into many areas of your leadership.It inspires people to trust you and follow your example. However, when you come under pressure, you may default to critical or avoidant behaviors, and this can generate stress and disconnection among team members. Read our tips below to keep integrating compassion into your leadership even when things go awry.

19-23: As you move through the work week, your compassion levels fluctuate. You know how to show up as a caring leader. However, you may also intentionally or unintentionally act in ways that are perceived as harsh or dominant. This can diminish your team members’ loyalty, engagement, and well-being. As you develop a more compassion-based approach, you can lead as a more authentic human being to improve followership, commitment, and sense of belonging. Read our tips below.

‍Below 19: You are at risk of putting results before people and coming across as indifferent. Perhaps the management training you received has led you to speak and behave based on scripts and models. Consider this point of view on leadership: First, nobody wants to be managed. Second, who you are is more important than how smart you are. And last, leadership is all about developing and enabling meaningful and trusting human relationships. Find more inspiration in the tips below.

Tips for increasing your compassion‍

1. Ask what they need

The first step toward being helped is to feel heard and seen. When you ask the simple question “What do you need?,” you have already initiated the path to solve the issue by giving the person an opportunity to reflect on what might be needed. Their response will also inform you better on what you can do to support them.

2. Remember the power of non-action

As a leader, you are probably great at taking action and solving problems. But when it comes to people having challenges, it is important to remember that often people don’t need your solutions. They just need your ear and your caring presence. Many problems don’t need a solution, but rather to just be heard and seen. Not acting on others’ problems can oftentimes be the most powerful way of helping.

3. Make time for connection

When we are intentional about making time just to connect, people see us as a whole person and feel more comfortable in our presence. We are social beings; we work better and enjoy work more when we feel connected. In our increasingly virtual workplace, create moments for real and transparent human connection.

‍