When considering the interesting balance of compassionate leadership, we’re not talking about the usual work/life balance, but the balancing act you need to perform as a compassionate leader in the workplace. At Technalink, we recognize a somewhat unusual balance in compassionate leadership, and this one prioritizes people over physical work. This might seem odd, especially since you have to work to meet goals, but isn’t your primary position as a leader to be steering the crew of the ship to get you there?
In spiritual management and soulful leadership, one must be on the same wavelength as those around them. Without this skill, there will always be a separation between you and those you’re leading. This separation not only separates you spiritually, but it makes your team members less likely to be completely open with you, less likely to look to you as a mentor, and less likely to be on the same vibration with one another. By ignoring the people element of leadership you’re creating this gap, or widening an existing one, which is actually going to hinder your productivity no matter how hard your focus on the work element.
So while physical work is important, it’s even more important to prioritize the people element. The balance you strike may depend on your industry, but we like to focus on a nice 35% to 65% balance. This means focusing 35% of your time on productivity through work and action, and 65% of your time on enriching, communicating, and collaborating with your team. By focusing on the connection, you’re actually keeping productivity high and innovative through the talent you have standing in your corner.
A quote from Peter Drucker, who is known to be a father of modern management and leadership, states “The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say ‘I.’ And that’s not because they have trained themselves not to say ‘I.’ They think ‘we’; they think ‘team.’ They understand their job is to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don’t sidestep it, but ‘we’ gets the credit. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.” This rings true for the work/people balance of successful compassionate leadership, with the focus on the “we” and the enrichment of the team, over the ”I” and the enrichment of self. With a mindset of “we” you recognize the team as a single cohesive unit, with you at the helm driving the force forward.
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