Compassionate Leadership: How to Lead with Empathy and Drive Positive Change

The Great Resignation and Need for Effective Leadership

The COVID-19 pandemic has led more and more people to reevaluate what they want from a job—and from life. As a result, we have seen employees quit their jobs in record numbers, a phenomenon that has been dubbed as the Great Resignation. In the US, 48 million employees quit their jobs in 2021, with 4 million workers on average quitting every month in 2022 so far. Multiple reasons have been provided for this mass exodus: they include toxic workplaces, a lack of appreciation, poor wages, and a lack of work-life balance. Overall, these factors leave many employees unhappy and unfulfilled, which lead to them leaving their roles, sometimes even without another job lined up. While they may have experienced some of these factors at work before, a perspective shift during the pandemic and a strong demand for qualified workers in the job market have provided more workers the impetus to join the Great Resignation.

In these uncertain times, the ability to lead effectively is invaluable. This is why organizations invest a lot of time and energy in leadership development and making sure their managers are competent leaders. After all, as the old saying goes, “people leave bad managers, not companies.” However, when it comes to leadership skills, historically, a lot of emphasis has been often placed on factors like vision, strength, decisiveness, and charisma, whereas an approach to leadership that focuses on compassion has been talked about much less. Fortunately, more organizations and individual leaders are recognizing the importance of genuine compassion as a core element of effective leadership.

We want leaders who listen, understand our needs, instill a sense of community, and recognize our contributions, which all in turn empower us to do our best work. We need leaders who support us find purpose in what we do, all the more so during times of turmoil. An employee who is able to find meaning in their work and feel a sense of community in their workplace is less likely to leave their job.

This is why compassion is at the heart – and soul – of effective leadership. A leader who demonstrates genuine compassion can instill a sense of respect and belonging in their employees, make them feel more fulfilled and help maintain positive emotions towards their work. This in turn can improve employee experience, motivate them to be more productive, and work towards accomplishing organizational goals that align with their own core values.

Why Is Compassion So Important in Leadership?

Compassion is an essential leadership quality in a time where organizations and individuals alike are facing increasingly complex and demanding challenges. When we are compassionate, we are able to better understand, relate to, and communicate with those whose lived experiences and perspectives are different from that of our own. This is all the more crucial now, as we have been living through a seemingly endless pandemic.

In order to address today’s challenges in the workplace, from navigating Zoom fatigue to dealing with the Great Resignation, leaders must be able to go beyond their own frame of reference. Leaders who possess compassion are able to put themselves in another person’s shoes and understand that person’s situation. Effective leaders therefore work on developing strong and trusting relationships with their team members and other stakeholders to build a more compassionate workplace. They strive to actively engage others in the problems they are facing and seek solutions that are mutually acceptable. 

When leaders act with empathy, they are able to see the world from the perspective of others and understand their needs better. This understanding allows leaders to develop policies and programs that would effectively help those they are trying to serve.

What is Compassionate Leadership?

Compassionate leadership is a leadership style that seeks to achieve shared purpose, while balancing the needs of self, others, and the organization. This approach involves active listening to understand and support the people we lead, which empowers them to perform to their potential. Empathy is a key characteristic of compassionate leadership. Empathy helps you understand what someone else is feeling by ‘putting yourself in their shoes’, and will help connect with them in a more meaningful manner. However, empathy alone is not enough when it comes to this style of leadership: compassion goes further: it puts empathy in action. In case of leadership, action includes taking care of the needs of employees, providing them adequate opportunities to grow professionally, encouraging them to share ideas, and helping them develop skills they need to succeed.

Compassionate leadership involves caring for people in ways that promote their well-being, rather than seeing them as replaceable resources that serve the bottom line of your organization. There is clear evidence that compassionate leadership results in higher employee engagement, motivation, and job satisfaction. This not only benefits the employees, but ultimately leads to positive outcomes for the organization as well.

Key Qualities of a Compassionate Leader

Below are a few key components of compassionate leadership.

They are team-oriented and collaborative. A compassionate leader puts the needs of their team first. They create a culture of trust, collaboration, and inclusion. Leaders who care about their team members will go out of their way to help them succeed. This is also a key trait of a servant leadership style.

Compassionate leaders build relationships based on trust and respect. They listen to their team members, encourage collaboration and participation, and believe in a collective approach to problem-solving.

They are humble. A compassionate leader leads with humility. Humility means being open to learning new ways of doing things. A humble leader does not try to control everything and knows that there are many ways to get something done, and that each way may work best for some situations but not others.

Humility also means listening carefully to others. A humble leader pays attention to what others are saying and does his or her best to understand their perspective. A humble leader is willing to learn from others.

They are mindful. Compassionate leaders are aware of their own biases and how they might affect others. They are also conscious of their own strengths and limitations. They know when to ask for help and when to let others try new things.

They are inclusive. Compassionate leaders recognize diversity and embrace differences. They value all perspectives and welcome feedback from everyone. They don’t just tolerate difference; they actively seek it out.

They are authentic. Authenticity is one of the most powerful qualities of a compassionate leader. Being true to yourself means having integrity and being honest with yourself and others. When you try to empathize with your team members or offer solutions to help, it’s important to be genuine, because if you are not, then it could lead to losing trust instead of building it. 

How Can I Become a More Compassionate Leader?

There are several ways that leaders can cultivate a greater sense of compassion, including being mindful of how others feel, listening carefully, and showing care and concern for those around them.

Here are some steps you can take to become a more compassionate leader:

Nurture a growth mindset in yourself and others. In other words, focus not on weaknesses in your team members or yourself, but rather on your ability to improve. Demonstrate to your team by example that it is okay to not know all the answers and to ask for help when needed. The simple practice of telling the people you lead, “I don’t know, but let’s find out!” encourages a culture of collaboration and learning from each other, instead of struggling to figure things out on your own. 

Develop your emotional intelligence. Understand your own emotions and how they affect others. Emotion regulation and contemplative practice can be key tools in your arsenal as you work on improving workplace compassion. However, regulating your emotions does not mean bottling up your feelings or adopting a stoic façade. It is perfectly fine to have difficult days, and it is also okay to let your teammates know that you are having one. What is not okay is to have your bad day make someone else’s day worse – particularly those you lead, given the potential power imbalances. Recognizing when you are not in a great emotional headspace and understanding the source of those emotions before , notice your feelings getting triggered, pause before responding (cliched as it sounds, deep breathing helps). Be mindful of your biases and blind spots, the emotions of others, and be open to hearing their point of view.

Invest in your relationships. Leadership in teams involves understanding what’s important to your team members and showing that you care. When people feel like they are treated with respect and genuine understanding, instead of being considered simply as “resources”, it improves employee experience and reduces attrition. You don’t need to be friends with your team members, but you can make an effort to get to know them better and understand what  matters most to them. This will help you connect with them on a deeper level and build trust.

Create and promote a culture that values reflection and feedback. For this purpose, practice active listening skills. This will help you better understand the feelings and needs of others and improve your ability to respond to them (even if sometimes, the right response may be to simply listen). 

In a workplace that encourages a growth mindset, people will be more open to acknowledging and learning from previous mistakes. Therefore, show compassion and grace for yourself and others in the face of potential missteps. Remember that compassion does not simply mean being nice – sometimes, the compassionate thing would be to provide an employee honest feedback about a key area where they can grow further. You can be gracious while still providing constructive feedback that will help them improve and avoid future pitfalls.

Compassionate Leadership Can Drive Durable, Positive Change

Compassionate leadership involves leading with empathy to create an inclusive culture of trust, kindness, and appreciation where people feel acknowledged and supported. It helps build an environment that values employee experience and well-being, allowing people to thrive. It nurtures a growth mindset and allows people to make mistakes and learn from them without judgement, thus fostering a safe environment where people are motivated to contribute to organizational goals.

A compassionate leader focuses on what is best for their team, supports their team members, acknowledges their contributions, encourages them to grow, and strives to help them find meaning and fulfilment in their work. They treat people with respect and help them find purpose in their work and belonging in the workplace.

It may sound obvious, but it is a message worth reinforcing: people tend to stay where they feel valued and appreciated, and often leave when they don’t. If your employees perceive that you care about them and their well-being, not only will they feel motivated to stick around and perform at their highest level, but they will also become your biggest advocates. This can boost productivity and engagement, decrease burnout and turnover, help you attract and retain more top talent, and accomplish organizational goals. Therefore, the pursuit of building a compassionate workplace by leading with empathy is well worth the effort: it can pay off immensely by driving long-lasting positive change.