Compassionate leadership is using your heart and head to influence and inspire others so they can be motivated to do their best. Instead of commanding, you focus on curating relationships by listening to others, understanding what they have to say, and empathizing with them.
Here are a few more components you can expect from effective, inclusive, collective, and systems leadership.
1. Cognitive Understanding
To lead effectively, you need to understand problems as they are presented. This way, you can help your employees and peers make the right decisions and find the best solutions. This is where cognitive understanding comes in. Without it, you won’t understand the full extent of what is happening, and your employees and peers can’t connect with you.
2. Emotional Understanding
Emotional understanding, also known as affective understanding, is letting your employees know that you feel what they feel and that you understand them more emotionally. If they are stressed about upcoming deadlines or a project they are working on, compassionate leadership shows everyone that you understand and are there to lead as
much as help.
3. Motivational Connection
Another part of compassionate leadership is showing your team that you want them to succeed and that you are behind them. You make their success a part of your day. When they know you have their best interests at heart, they will be more motivated to perform their best.
The Traits of a Compassionate Leader
Now that we have covered the pillars of compassionate leadership, let’s look at some of the key traits you should have to practice empathy and compassion in the workplace.
The 7 C’s of compassionate leadership: Contemplative, curious, confident, compassionate, collaborative, civil, and courageous. Start by identifying which of these 7 traits is your natural talent and ability, and then commit to acting on at least one each week. Once you have done this, find which is the most challenging and find a way to learn the trait and embark on a journey of self-improvement to be your best. If you’re finding it difficult to achieve this or focus on doing so, I suggest you try some Executive Leadership Coaching. There are also Online Individual Executive Coaching options available for those that would be prefer to develop this skill from home, maybe on their off time.
Effective and compassionate leadership means having a clear direction or purpose that is shared and your goals align with your team’s goals. If not, you cannot fully develop trust and motivation within the workplace. To learn more about leadership, one can take an online leadership training.
The Importance of Compassion
There needs to be compassion to promote healthy interpersonal relationships in the workplace. We must learn to appreciate others and what they have to offer, as this all works toward the common good of everyone. Build trust and create mutual connections.
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