Foster empathy in your interactions, yet guide with kindness and understanding.
In a world where leadership is often about making tough decisions, it's essential to remember the power of compassion. A recent article published in the Harvard Business Review titled "How to Help Superstar Employees Fulfill Their Potential" sheds light on this important aspect of leadership.
The article discusses the differences between empathy and compassion, explaining that empathy is understanding what another person is feeling, while compassion is understanding and a willingness to help reduce their suffering. Empathy, while important, only mirrors other emotions and does not necessarily lead to action for the greater good. Compassion, on the other hand, builds on empathy by inspiring leaders to take supportive action.
During tough times, leading with compassion is crucial. It allows leaders to support their teams better, fostering trust, morale, and team resilience. Strategies for leading with compassion include role-modeling compassion, taking practical steps to support employees, leading with empathy during difficult conversations, and creating a workplace culture that values compassion.
Role-modeling compassion means pausing before reacting and trying to understand team members’ hopes, fears, and well-being. Taking practical steps could involve adjusting workloads, offering flexible deadlines, or checking in regularly on employees’ mental health and well-being. Leading with empathy during difficult conversations involves listening actively, valuing differences, and showing honesty while supporting staff emotionally and practically.
Creating a workplace culture that values compassion involves leadership support, workshops, and organizational processes to encourage it broadly. Aligning leadership actions with a clear purpose that instills confidence and direction also helps maintain resilience during challenges.
The importance of compassionate leadership was further emphasized in another article published in the MITSMR titled "Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness". This article discusses the challenges faced by employees and managers during the epidemic and the importance of kindness in leadership.
A third article published in Deloitte discusses the need for leaders to sustain their people and the organization during challenging times. The title of the article is "Perseverance of Resilient Leadership".
In conclusion, empathy in leadership is about understanding emotions, while compassion is taking that understanding into supportive action. Leading with compassion means engaging with employees’ needs and actively providing help, which strengthens trust, morale, and team resilience in difficult times.
The authors of the HBR article are Rasmus Hougaard, Jacqueline Carter, and Marissa Afton. The top leadership team has been counseling and supporting the mental well-being of their employees for the last 18 months during the epidemic. It's clear that compassionate leadership is more important now than ever before.
References: 1. HBR. (2021, December). How to Help Superstar Employees Fulfill Their Potential. Harvard Business Review. 2. MITSMR. (2021). Good Leadership Is an Act of Kindness. MIT Sloan Management Review. 3. Deloitte. (2021). Perseverance of Resilient Leadership. Deloitte Insights. 4. Deloitte. (2021). Sustaining People and the Organization During Challenging Times. Deloitte Insights.
- In the realm of business and leadership, compassionate action is essential for fostering trust, morale, and resilience among teams during challenging times.
- Pausing to understand team members' hopes, fears, and well-being can be a demonstration of compassionate leadership, as displayed in the top leadership team during the epidemic.
- Acknowledging the challenges faced by employees and managers, an act of kindness in leadership is crucial for maintaining emotional well-being and overall health-and-wellness in the face of adversity.
- To create a compassionate workplace culture, leaders can implement strategies such as workshops, organizational processes, and aligning actions with a clear purpose in education-and-self-development and personal-growth.
