Leading with compassion

For those who know me well, they know that I’ve been a stern believer that if we are to in-act drastic change within our society, one of the most influential places to start is definitely the workplace. Workplaces are communities, built around the relationships we have with our peers and returning customers. When these relationships are strong, they can be a source of great energy, influence, education and support. Whilst even when they crack, it is also a source of frustrations and resentment from both the employee and the organisation.

Often, when stressful situations arise our compassion goes out of the window. I’ve seen this in action during my time as an employee, within my circle of influence and also amongst noticeable interactions during client meetings. Coming from a brand management and strategy background, I can see and witness the powerful force organisations and brands hold. The influence they are capable of delivering. Both to their internal and external communities.

The book, Sapiens, (Amazon link) by Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, explains how 70,000–100,000 years ago there were a number of different human species that walked the earth at the same time; composed of Homo Sapiens (our ancestor lineage), Neanderthals, Homo Floresiensis and the recent addition Homo Naledi. It’s fascinating to wonder how there were less than one million humans roaming the earth back then compared to the seven billion of us (Homo sapiens) now bullying this tiny planet.

The account of how our species took over is told at length in Harari’s book but the essential idea is very simple. Homo Sapiens survived and prospered above all other creatures because of our unique ability to collaborate at scale, through a common understanding of shared stories and values. Powerful stories that powered humans through the agricultural and industrial revolution and in many ways shaped our modern world. Yet, people now are disenchanted by their work and concerned about the sustainability of mankind’s constant growth.

Many people sense that the way established organisations, institutions and most brands run today stretch to their limits. There are enough international studies which make it clear that many companies have become places of anxiety and strenuous work and not passion or purpose. These are the same antidotes which are also found in our governmental entities, nonprofits, schools and hospitals as much.

Our modern organisations and establishments have brought staggering progress for humanity in less than two centuries. None of these advances would have been possible without organisations acting as vehicles for human collaboration. For people who work hard at the bottom of the pyramid, surveys report that most are unhappy at the workplace. Life at the top of the pyramids isn’t much satisfying either. Behind the facade and the casual swaggering brag, the lives of some corporate leaders are ones of quiet distress. Their panicky activity is often a weak cover-up for a deep inner sense of void. Most of us have witnessed these power games, politics and the infighting taking weight on everybody.

Self-assessment:

Most present-day workplaces have become unresponsive and demanding that we’ve almost gotten numb at caring about coworkers. Not everything is in your control, but you could identify the problem and ask for what needs to change. Here are a few questions to ask to give you a better understanding;

1. Do you know what is expected of you at work?
2. Do you have the right resources I need to do your work right?
3. Are you given the opportunity to do what you do best every day?
4. In the last week, where you recognised or praised for doing good work?
5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, care about you as a person?
6. Do they encourage your development?
7. Does your opinion count?
8. Does the mission of the company you work for, make you feel like your work is important?
9. Are your co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do you have a close friend at work?
11. Have you talked to someone about your progress in the last 6 months?
12. In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Workplace culture often doesn’t allow people to thrive, develop and do their best work which in turn prevents the organisation from delivering high performance and impact. Employees may feel a lack of appreciation of their skills, managers who struggle to understand what difficulties some face at work whilst experiencing unreasonable demands and deadlines with a constant feeling that their work shrugs off. Whilst how other forms of suffering may be presenting from their personal lives which also contributes to the distress at work.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most business leaders and employees had some tough realisation to gather.

“What are you feeling?”

Is the simplest of questions which have left countless people fumble for words. It is no surprise that surveys are stating the negative impact the pandemic had on our mental health. In such conditions exhibiting visible and caring leadership becomes even more important.

Key Idea:

Pursue these qualities by first turning inward to better understand and merge your own emotions and fears, whilst then turning outward to diminish pain, support others, and, with time, empower people and the business to recover.

1. Increase your awareness of what is going on within and around you.
2. Be brave in expressing vulnerability by lowering your emotional guard and confront what is revealing.
3. Display empathy to better understand the emotions others are feeling.
4. Serve with compassion to make them feel cared for.

What figureheads need during such crisis is not just an established plan but behaviour and a mindset that will stop them from overacting to developments and find new innovative solutions to look ahead while remaining attentive to their own well-being.

About the author: Kurt Micallef is a Brand Strategist and designer at Friends of Ours, an online content and design platform. He regularly writes about new perspectives, traditional knowledge, practical ideas and hands-on experience. We believe in the power of design, storytelling and human experience to communicate strong messages.

Originally published at https://www.friendsofours.co/