#4 Compassion

Strong leaders must be compassionate.

What saddens me is that many might tacitly agree with this but then nullify that with their actions.

Your employees and co-workers are human beings. They aren't perfect. They aren't soulless robots. They have families and pets. They have feelings and concerns. They have good days and bad days. They get sick. They have questions. Some are introverted. Some are extroverted. They come from different backgrounds and different experiences. But all of them are human beings.

As a leader, your responsibility is not to squeeze every last ounce out of them for your benefit, or the benefit of the company. Your responsibility it to help them be successful. That has to be your top priority, and it starts with being compassionate.

I've had employees come to me and ask if it was okay for them to take a couple of hours off in the afternoon to go to the doctor or take their child to the doctor. Wow, what kind of workplace experiences have they had in the past that make them feel like they need permission for such things? My response is, "Of course it is okay, you don't need to ask." I am not a parent or a babysitter or your commanding officer. I am just a fellow human being.

"Is it okay if I take a day off next week?" Nope, you should take 2.

"I might be a little late returning from lunch because I need to pick up a prescription." Why don't you just take the rest of the afternoon, so you don't feel rushed.

"I'm sorry my kids walked through the background just now in our video conference." If they need your attention, please take whatever time you need to assist, we'll be here when you get back. No worries.

Imagine the impact those kinds of statements have on your employees! They build trust and security. They feel heard and cared for. Your words are backed up by actions. Who would you rather work hard for? The manager in the examples above, or someone who berates or commands you like a prison guard?

Showing true compassion demonstrates that you are committed to your employee's long-term success, not to some temporary objective. This is the difference between building a successful team and building a disgruntled chain gang.

Here's the question I get sometimes: But what if they abuse this compassion? That is the topic for the next post -- handling difficult situations.

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