Is Compassion Like Pizza?
Starting on my leadership journey, compassion was not something we considered for staff, that was saved for clients. Like compassion was a finite resource.
This could be why traditional leadership training didn’t resonate with me.
If we take a slice of compassion, it doesn’t mean less for others, like a pizza. The more we offer compassion to ourselves and others, the more it flourishes.
As I progressed, I found the work of Dr. Brené Brown. Brené is an author, researcher and social worker. She has written several books on who we are human beings, underpinned by courage, empathy and compassion.
I became accredited in her Dare to Lead ™ approach, which is about building courageous organisations – using self-awareness, empathy and compassion.
Compassion to prevent burnout
Compassionate leadership is needed now more than ever. We are living in complex and challenging times.
The NHS Staff Survey highlighted that 30% of staff feel burnout out often or all the time (NHS, 2024).
Burnt out staff will not innovate. They will not respond to change from a healthy place and eventually, it impacts on patients and customers.
Leadership style is the second biggest cause of workplace stress, after workload. Compassionate leadership builds psychological safety and improves wellbeing.
Self-compassion to lead others
Empathy and compassion underpin all my work, and it is something many clients struggle with.
Like a pizza, people feel by offering themselves too much, there won’t be enough for others.
Kristin Neff defines self-compassion well:
- Self-kindness vs self-judgment. Can we recognise our imperfections and failures with kindness?
- Common humanity vs isolation. Can we recognise that suffering and inadequacy is part of the human experience, not just ours.
- Mindfulness vs over-identification. Can we witness our thoughts and feelings without suppressing or ignoring or being immersed in them? I have previously written about mindfulness for resilience.
Leaders who practice self-compassion, are more likely to lead others compassionately.
Are you your own worst critic? Drop us a line to learn how to step out of self-judgment and into self-compassion.