Is there room for a more compassionate form of leadership in our busy and demanding organisations? The topic of ‘compassionate leadership’ has been gathering interest, especially since the COVID-19 Pandemic, but are we in danger of believing that this merely means being kinder, more tolerant, more understanding, and more forgiving?
Life in organisations certainly requires tough decisions, remains performance-driven with limited resources and endless pressures. This is especially true for leaders and managers who have needed to adapt and change, navigating new complexities around work and management. Precious little room, therefore, for soft notions of empathy, kindness, compassion? Nothing could be further from the truth.
In this article we clarify what we mean by compassionate leadership and dispel some of the myths. As we’ll cover, to be a compassionate leader requires mental, emotional, and sometimes physical toughness and resilience. It is by no means a soft option rewarded by a warm fuzzy glow.
What is compassion in leadership?
A comprehensive guide to understanding what compassion in leadership really means is provided in a publication Caring to Change which predates the COVID-19 and was produced by the King’s Fund. [1] In it are clear definitions of what compassion involves, case studies of its implementation within the NHS and a most useful guide to its wider application in the private as well as public and NGO sectors.
Compassion may be understood as having four components: attending, understanding, empathising, and helping (Atkins and Parker 2012) [2]. The key to compassionate leadership, however, lies very much in moving from attention, understanding and empathy, to positive, tough, often controversial, and decisive action. Indeed, compassion is a leadership behaviour, a set of consistent and observable actions, not an attitude, not an expression of values or mission.
This theme is picked up by Irma Beccara, of the Forbes Council, in her very recent article who proclaims that “Compassion is a Vital Leadership Skill”. Compassionate Leaders must speak up for those who do not have a voice, who are excluded and whose needs are ignored. Empathy is not enough – compassionate leaders are advocates and spokespeople for the disregarded.
She goes further than this, however, as she asserts:
“Next, take action to bring about real and lasting change. Compassionate leaders tap into their wisdom and use their collective resources to change minds, reverse unjust policies and raise the consciousness of others. [3] “
Beccara concludes that it is tough, and places demands on leaders who in turn must place demands on employees. Far from being a soft option her telling remark is that “compassion cannot come at the expense of succeeding”. Compassion is the imperative driver for success.
Compassion as a driving force in life
“Making a difference” is so often a trite remark and we feel embarrassed when we find ourselves saying it. But we have seen time and time again during the last three years how “making a difference” has become the prime motivator not only for acts of human kindness, but for extraordinary feats of bravery and endurance from those who have helped us all to endure and withstand the impact of the pandemic. Compassion has been the driving force for so many in all walks of life. They have gone beyond fine words, and empathetic listening to demonstrate through their actions their compassion, their wish literally to “relieve suffering” be it working with the sick, keeping our vital services going, continuing to run businesses against all the economic pressures and resource shortages.
Applying compassion to leadership
This outpouring of compassion has little or nothing to do with being a saint or a hero. It has had everything to do with being a fallible, stumbling, and at time irritated human being determined to keep going against the odds to make those differences. Whether through resilience or stubbornness, that drive has nurtured and sustained them albeit at physical, emotional and mental cost.
It is time for leaders to recognise this in others and to apply it to themselves. Some, of course, have demonstrated that compassionate leadership through their own agility, responsiveness, resilience, and drive. Their actions have been the enactment, the tangible evidence of compassionate leadership. We all need to recognise and celebrate this, to acknowledge the contribution compassionate leadership has made through these examples but also to challenge, goad, and compel other leaders to move away from hollow words and empty expressions of support and to take those actions needed to change minds, reverse unjust policies, give a voice to those silenced at the margins.
Foundations for compassionate leadership
Compassionate leaders at all levels and in all organisations set the examples for us to follow:
- Go beyond empathy and give all employees the encouragement to make a difference because what they do matters.
- Provide a culture which is supportive, thoughtful, understanding and kind whilst remaining utterly focused on achieving progress and success.
- Ensure resources are in place to enable the mission to be achieved, that people are well managed, encouraged to develop, learn from mistakes, and feel safe within the work environment to be themselves and to make their contribution.
- Be a “Nearby leader”, available and involved in the day to day as well as the future planning. Alongside others, certainly, but humble and appreciative of all that they do.
- Be true to ourselves on the things that really matter.
- Stay quiet and still about being compassionate. Let our compassionate leadership actions do the talking.
In conclusion
We are living and working in a time when compassionate leadership has a vital role to play. Combining empathy with decisive action, it’s a highly valuable leadership skill and one that can set the culture of our organisations for the better. This is a time when compassionate leaders will be those who can keep going, who learn from mistakes and who recognise that his or hers is not their journey alone, but one they take with their colleagues, side by side.
[1] Caring to change How compassionate leadership can stimulate innovation in health care
Authors: Michael West Regina Eckert Ben Collins Rachna Chowla May 2017 The Kings Fund
[2] Atkins PWB, Parker SK (2012). ‘Understanding individual compassion in organisations: the role of appraisals and psychological flexibility’. Academy of Management Review, vol 37, no 4, pp 524–46.
[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/01/25/compassion-is-a-vital-leadership-skill/?sh=5f45110159ad
