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• Great leaders lead with compassion.

• But it is not easy to put this into practice.

• We examine some aspects or practicing compassionate leadership and its benefits.

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Compassion is:

• showing kindness, caring, and a willingness to help others.

• being thoughtful and decent.

• putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and having compassion for that person.

 

GREAT LEADERS LEAD WITH COMPASSION:

Great leaders practice compassion by:

• getting to know their team members;

• developing deep personal connections with them;

• finding out what is going on in their team member’s lives. practicing in-depth listening to the team members;

• developing meaningful relationships with their team;

• discovering how to support them;

• valuing and aiding the personal development of their team;

• helping team members learn anything new that would benefit their personal development; and

• encouraging and inspiring others to behave with similar compassion.

 

IT’S NOT EASY TO PRACTICE COMPASSION:

Compassion is not as easy to achieve as one might think.

• It can’t be willed; you have to notice when someone is struggling.

• It is vital to practice inquiry and curiosity to spot suffering.

• You have to be able to interpret emotions correctly and feel empathy for the person who is struggling.

• You have to take appropriate and compassionate action to help the person in need.

• With children, we need to be curious and ask about their feelings.

ACTION IS THE KEY ELEMENT:

• If compassion is real, it should lead to action.

• It’s not only about the big actions, but small gestures can also be as important.

• Being there, attentive and available to listen, will show that you are compassionate.

• A friendly smile is not enough, it requires turning that compassion into action.

• In British Columbia, there is psychosocial training for emergency volunteers working with evacuees.

  • The 3 key elements are:

    • LOOK – for signs that people are distressed.

    • LISTEN -ask questions and listen to their responses.

    • LINK – connect them with others who can assist them.

 

GROUP DYNAMICS ARE MORE CHALLENGING:

• It is more challenging to change a group’s culture to include compassion.

• It may be difficult, but it can be done.

• Communal compassion takes a fair amount of active encouragement from the leaders.

• When designing roles and groups, consider how to best incorporate compassion.

• Smaller teams make it easier for members to know each other personally.

• An effective tactic is for new team members to join support pods before joining their designated area.

• By helping others who may be overwhelmed with work it sets a precedence of compassion.

• Colleagues helping each other with compassionate actions can become contagious.

 

BENEFITS:

• Solidarity and empathy can become a key part of the group dynamic.

• Team members who are satisfied, work harder and are more effective.

• Retention rates are higher as they are more likely to stay with the group.

• Genuine camaraderie thrives in compassionate groups and creates a culture of solidarity.

• Compassionate teams are the best teams.

• Compassion has shown to be a source of innovation.

If you wish to learn more about using compassion in business you can find more by referring to the book ”Awakening Compassion at Work” by Monica Worline and Jane Dutton.

You can find details about the book at

https://lifeclub.org/books/awakening-compassion-at-work-monica-c-worline-and-jane-e-dutton-review-summary

 

HOW TO HELP:

When involved with youth groups we can:

• Discuss where compassion has been demonstrated or not demonstrated and its impact on the group.

• Review how to use compassion in group activities to achieve better results.

• Review any interactions where you failed to act with compassion and what you could do to change this?

• Describe a leader you have encountered whose compassion inspired you. Did you do anything to emulate him or her?

By encouraging our youth to practice compassion will enable more of them to become the leaders that our world needs.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please contact us.

Please see the “How Can You Help?” section below.

 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• Comment and Request more information in ‘Leave a Reply’ to this post.

• Subscribe to our newsletter.

• Join a Moderators session (Discuss how to moderate online sessions)

A PARENT’S GUIDE:

There is a guide available which assists parents and others working with youth.

The guide enables a person to be proactive in the success of a child’s future.

It contains activities to assist youth to gain critical soft skills.

They will become more resourceful and independent when they practice and gain these skills.

The guide is available from Our Future Leaders.

Request the Parent’s Guide here: http://www.ourfutureleaders.ca/contact-us/

EVERY CHILD DESERVES A WONDERFUL FUTURE.

What are you going to do to assist children to become our future leaders?

Fred Jones

Victoria, BC Canada

Fred Jones