By Kaelyn Dickinson
Compassionate leadership. Work-life balance ? How do you lead compassionately? You may be thinking compassion and leadership don’t belong in the same sentence. But that is not true. In fact, compassionate leadership is a prime example of how the personal and professional complement one another. According to Linkedin CEO Jeff Weiner, employees use six core values to implement compassionate leadership: members come first, relationships matter, be open, honest and constructive, demand excellence, act like owners, and take intelligent risks.
As a leader, it is important that you are an example-what you say is not just in words, but in actions. So, in other words practice what you preach. This also means you cannot project yourself onto others. It is important to remember we all work and receive energy in different ways. As Weiner says, “it is far more effective to get out of your own head and recognize what motivates someone, in turn you get the most out of the person”. By putting yourself in “someone else’s” shoes you show compassionate leadership. You acknowledge that they are just as human as you and have just as much to offer. It allows you to effectively connect, lead, teach and manage.
Compassionate leadership is the “heart and soul” of a companies like LinkedIn. It is the “it factor” which strengthens the connection between individuals and and an organization. It’s important because; it is the “bedrock” culture, vision and mission of a company. This does not mean 100% company success rate. It sure doesn’t mean failure is a “bad” thing. But, it just means that failure is a humbling experience and the need to make improvements. Rather than thinking of success in a conventional way, take a look at it a little differently. The point of success is to manifest a mission and vision. It is not meant to be a conventional marker of your self-esteem and identity.
As leaders, How can you implement compassionate leadership? I challenge you to find sustainable tools to build your leadership skills and happiness. Remember, there is no “I” in “Team” so, the outcome not only affects you but also those you lead.
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