2020 - The Year Compassion Got What it Deserved

Compassion is a character trait often associated with people in service industries which help people; doctors, nurses, food banks, counsellors, etc. It’s certainly important for those professionals, but 2020 helped the world understand that compassion is something we ALL need. Leaders who role model with compassionate actions have the strength to guide us through uncertainty. 

In this politically divisive time, it’s evident that, generally speaking, political leaders around the world and those who follow them are not interested in listening to opposing views of any kind. There is no conversation. Just yelling. Yelling that no one on either side really listens to. The extreme sides are just that. Extreme. The social media responses, “cancel culture” and mob-like mentality have ZERO compassion, which will keep us stuck in the negative vortex we’ve been in. We will only move forward when we start to have real conversations. When we open our minds and hearts to compassion and empathy. 

Of course there are some non-negotiables when it comes to race, identity, culture and gender bias. These are table-stakes when it comes to a compassionate community. 

So how does this tie into leadership? 

Compassionate leaders encourage people to respectfully disagree in a meeting. They create teams rich with different personalities, cultures and genders. They cultivate an environment where people feel safe to hold leaders, colleagues and themselves accountable. They use the power of compassion to have uncomfortable conversations with people, to make them better. Constructive feedback is one of the most compassionate gifts we can give. 

Leaders who had already established deep trust with their teams (which is developed through compassion), had a much easier time connecting with and engaging staff during the Covid-19 crisis. Why? Because people knew their leaders had their backs through a year full of heartache, uncertainty, frustration and fear. 

When leaders have a foundation of compassion, employees read and watch internal communications without skepticism. They believe what you’re telling them. They believe you are doing everything you can to help them and the company survive.  

Compassion is the game-changer. It’s the superpower every leader needs. It may have taken a global crisis to help people understand its worth in the workplace, but it finally got the focus it deserves.