Leading a team requires walking a fine line between holding employees accountable and inspiring them to do their best work. It can be difficult to strike a balance between doing what’s good for the business while prioritizing staff members. When you master this blend, though, you can become both effective and compassionate in how you lead.
Patricia Omoqui, an executive coach, contributed an article to the Atlassian blog that discusses the benefits of compassionate leadership, including higher happiness levels for leaders and employees as well as an improved bottom line.
What does it take to cultivate more compassion at work? Read on. We share Omoqui’s guidance in this issue of PromoPro Daily.
- Extend compassion to yourself. Recognize that you’re only human and you’ll make mistakes sometimes. You don’t need to have all the answers or get everything right all the time. When you can practice self-compassion, Omoqui says you’re more likely to show compassion to your colleagues and team members.
- Practice staying fully present. Leaders have a lot on their plates. To try to get it all done, you may resort to multi-tasking – doing a quick scan of emails while on a call or scrolling your phone before a meeting begins. According to Omoqui, offering compassion means fully tuning in to how someone is doing. You can’t do that if you’re splitting your attention.
- Master the art of active listening. This requires listening to the other person with the intent to hear and retain what they are saying, and it’s crucial for compassionate leadership, Omoqui says. If you typically listen just because it’s not your turn to talk yet, practice listening deeply to the other person’s words and pay attention to their energy and emotion.
- Know your triggers. Some leaders may get riled up if they’re constantly interrupted. Others may hate when team members veer off topic during meetings. Omoqui advises taking note of these idiosyncrasies and visualizing how you want to respond the next time you face these triggers.
- Do something with your empathy. Don’t just genuinely listen to your staff members and leave it at that – take action on what you learn. Does someone on your team need additional resources? Get them what they need to be successful. Is someone not acting like themselves? Schedule a check-in and see how they’re doing. Then, Omoqui says, you can demonstrate you care by explicitly offering your support and help.
- Be courageous. Compassionate leaders are experts at doing hard things in a human way. When you’re courageous, Omoqui says you know how to lean into challenging moments with candor and care. You say what needs to be said but in a kind and respectful way.
When you lead with compassion, you foster a harmonious work environment where people feel understood, valued and supported. When staff members feel this way, they’re more likely to contribute at higher levels and show loyalty to your company. Start with the ideas above to embrace a more compassionate leadership style and watch your team flourish.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Patricia Omoqui is an executive coach, corporate trainer, speaker, consultant and contributing writer for the Atlassian blog.
