Leading with compassion

Did you know?

Gallup's research shows significant correlations to better business outcomes for

• productivity,
• profitability,
• customer satisfaction,
• talent retention,
• engagement
• and even safety, 

when employees feel like they have compassionate and caring leaders.

So, compassion, simply put, converts to performance.

As leaders what does this mean for you? 

In short, it means treating employees as the human beings they are. And, it all starts with appreciation.

People want to matter.

So...

1. Show why they matter.

The easiest way to start lifting up the performance, is to help them understand why they matter. To you, and to your company. 

This might simply be, sharing appreciation for what they contribute.

Here is a simply activity, you can start doing today.

Take few minutes, and think about your employees. 

• What specific contribution (never share general remarks; this can be seen as 'fake praise’), did they make in last few weeks?
• How did that influence the workflow?

And, then simply share it with them. (Look at their faces;) What do you see?)

Then, there is another, maybe even better way, to show them, why they matter.

2. Involve them

You need to avoid getting caught in the trap of thinking that having all of the answers somehow makes you a stronger leader. Strength in leadership is not about needing to have all of the answers yourself, but in knowing how to involve your team.

So, find the answers together. This shows that you care. You care about their thoughts and ideas. You care about involving them in making the work environment better. You care about the talents and insights they bring to the job.

3. Acknowledge  the uniqueness'

Finally, don’t praise employees only for the ‘what they did’.

Praise them for ‘who they are’. This gives sense of authenticity. Like saying, I matter for who I am, and what I uniquely bring to this team.

Watch this video to learn more.

Leverage the strengths of your team, by acknowledging their unique potentials, and talents. Help them see that they matter both at work and beyond.

That is compassionate leadership.