Creating The Compassionate Company
The latest research indicates that employees have low-trust in their managers and senior leadership. A past AP poll showed that trust has been steadily dropping since 1970. 66% of Americans do not trust other Americans. It would seem that empathy and compassion are seriously lacking in many of our business relationships. We are at an important inflection point.
For most business organizations to survive and thrive, they must innovate. Innovation requires a business culture of purpose, values, and relationship capital. Many leaders have had the false belief that their organization’s culture was not a lever that they could effectively manage for higher levels of performance.
Culture is often overlooked as a business driver because it’s an asset without a dollar value. Leaders need to assess and implement new operating models that leverage the innate purpose, values, and creativity of the individual and the team with the flexibility and efficiency of technology. Organizational Culture is a key lever for innovative high performing teams. Relationship Capital (RC) accounts for people’s perceptions and fulfilled commitments. RC is earned through character, competence, good intent, and proactivity. Creating a company culture of compassion and high relationship capital is not only a more rewarding place to work but is a competitive advantage.
Here are 10 tips for creating more compassion in your company:
1. Offer guidance to a peer
You know how painful it can feel to confront an obstruction on a certain project. If you see a coworker scuffling in an area where you have strength, offer your support or knowledge. Share a useful concept or tool from your professional strongbox that may propel them forward.
2. Get to know your colleagues
People desire to be part of a team and they have an authentic connection with others. Take the time to introduce yourself to someone you may not know well in the workplace. Ask them questions about themselves, their families, and what they enjoy doing away from work. Say HELLO to them on a regular basis and be sure to use their name often when talking to them. This makes people feel valued.
3. Give a helping hand to someone who is facing a tight deadline
If you see a fellow co-worker under pressure and carrying a heavy load, offer to lend them a hand. Ask if they could use some help or what you can take off their plate to ease the strain. Showing that you genuinely care and want to help others not only inspires them but makes them feel happy to work for (or with) you.
4. Nurture a collaborative environment
Encourage mastermind meetings and brainstorming sessions. Ask the entire team to participate in the company’s vision, goals and assist in creating thenext action required to accomplish them. An atmosphere, where everyone can collaborate by sharing their ideas and presenting creative solutions is one that flourishes.
5. Recognize employees’ strengths and positive qualities in front of others
Acknowledging a person in the presence of others is one of the most powerful ways to lift morale. Think back to a time when someone appreciated you in front of a gathering of your peers and how esteemed it made you feel. See where you can find opportunities to recognize people for their strengths and celebrate their successes with them.
6. Be a role model of a compassionate leader
The best leaders are those who lead from the heart, those who have the capacity to inspire others through kindness, open-mindedness, support, and empowerment. When you behave toward people with compassion they never forget and, as a result, you develop people who want to work for you because you care.
7. Inspect your motivation behind your decisions, your words, and your actions
Always inspect your thoughts before they become words or actions to be sure your motivation is genuine. Think before you act. Every word and action create a reaction that will build relationship capital or lower it. Ensure that your influence is positive and supports a culture of compassion.
8. Arrange team-building activities
Take the lead, or ask for a volunteer, to set up monthly or quarterly team building activities for employees. It can be anything from putting together softball teams to volunteering with a charity to clothe and feed senior citizens. Ask employees to submit suggestions and ideas for fun and inventive team-building programs to make everyone feel included.
9. Encourage employees to practice authentic communication
Promote an atmosphere of genuine communication among employees and motivate people to engage in open conversations with one another. Peers who openly talk and share their thoughts and feelings with each other through honest and sincere communication are more likely to work together to overcome challenges. Coach people how to give feedback in a way that inspires motivation for improvement rather than making someone feel inept. Advise people to ask authentic questions and listen to one another with attention.
10. Outline a compassion challenge to inspire daily acts of kindness
Make kindness an enjoyable practice. “Create an in-office compassion challenge (i.e.. “30 Days of Kindness”) and get your team inspired to do all of the above on a daily basis. Have a board or chart where everyone can see and feel the progress being made and consider awarding a grand prize to the person who performed the highest.”
Conclusion
Get your standard of culture right and you will have a sustainable strategic advantage that will be difficult to copy and hard to compete against in the marketplace. Success goes to those leaders and organizations that build and nurture a “culture of high relationship capital trust” and “compassion” across your ecosystem of stakeholders; customers, employees, partners, and suppliers. Today, business cultures of high trust and high compassion are relatively unique, but in the near future, it will be a necessity in order to stay in the game and effectively compete. If not, the star-performing employee, hyper-connected customer, and partner will bypass you and your organization.
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