Leadership is changing to adapt to the needs of a changing workplace.
Government initiatives are being implemented to promote greater flexibility within the workweek as workplaces undergo cultural changes. Now, employees place more importance on work-life balance and meaningful engagement than financial incentives. Employers are responding by actively exploring innovative strategies in order to retain and attract top talent.
Recent leadership approaches, which place compassion as the most important management skill at the top of their list, have made significant progress in complementing changes in workplace culture. They’re not universally accepted.
To achieve business success, it is essential to create and maintain a positive work culture.
Some people have labeled new leadership approaches “soft” or “woke”, seeing them as an inconvenience in order to get on with the demanding demands of driving business growth.
More and more studies prove that both are feasible.
Compassionate Leadership is not just a nice thing to do. Compassionate leadership is no longer a feel-good, optional practice.
Take a look why.
Workplace culture affects business performance
It is essential to achieve business success that you create and maintain a positive work environment. It’s not just a theory, but a number of studies have shown the positive effects – improved profitability and productivity; increased employee engagement, retention and attraction; and a positive brand image.
It’s so important that it has now become a top priority for any modern business with a competitive edge and thriving.
It can be difficult to bring a positive organisational culture into reality through best practices that are measurable and relatable. What can be done to help?
Theory into Practice
There is also ongoing research to develop best practices in building psychological safety within companies.
These approaches make a positive contribution to the development of workplace cultures that are based on values and good work habits.
The focus is on finding sustainable ways to enhance the performance of employees and teams – promoting wellbeing, courage, empathy, and sensitivity as well as building trust, loyalty, and respect, which are essential ingredients for workplace success.
What is compassion leadership?
Compassionate Leadership Training is the foundation of organisational change initiatives to improve psychological safety and well-being at work. This course explains what compassion means in the workplace, and how to improve one of today’s most important, but underrated skills for leadership and management.
It is more important to improve an employee’s emotional intelligence than their technical or operational abilities. This will create a supportive, productive, and inclusive work environment.
In the world of work, compassion is a key factor.
Compassionate leadership is the foundation for addressing the emotional, physical and interpersonal needs of employees.
The managers, leaders, and colleagues are empowered to make sure everyone feels valued and supported. They can then voice their ideas, concerns, and solutions without fear.
Leadership with compassion: benefits
Compassionate behaviours foster a culture that encourages trust and collaboration, which in turn drives productivity and innovation within an organisation. They also improve decision-making processes and increase success.
Leaders can build high-performing, resilient teams by fostering a culture that values empathy, support and curiosity.
- Increases employee engagement and productivity –According a report highly engaged teams have 21% higher profitability. Leaders who show genuine concern and care for their staff foster a culture that is based on trust, respect, and engagement. This happens because they don’t fear managing difficult situations and pressures in challenging times. Google’s Project Oxygen found that the most effective managers weren’t necessarily those with the greatest technical expertise, but rather those who demonstrated empathy and cared for their team’s wellbeing.
- Increases creativity and innovation –innovation thrives when employees feel comfortable expressing their ideas, without fear of ridicule. Compassionate leaders can create psychologically-safe workplaces that encourage team members to take risks and be creative. Amy Edmondson’s research into psychological safety shows that teams with a high level of psychological safety are innovative and more effective. Pixar’s culture of open communication has played a key role in consistently producing innovative, creative films. Pixar’s leaders encourage openness and vulnerability, which have fostered an innovative environment.
- Reduces costs of turnover and retention –compassionate leaders can reduce turnover rates and cost by creating a supportive, inclusive work environment. Employees are more likely stay in an organisation when they feel appreciated and understood. <a href="https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/create-better-culture-start-with-compassionate-leadership/#:~:text=Compassionate%20leaders%20are%20more%20effective,decreasing%20turnover%20rates%2C%20research%20shows. A study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership revealed that teams led by leaders who show compassion had lower turnover rates. It can cost up to 2.5x the annual salary of an employee to replace them, so retention is a key financial factor.
In the constantly changing world of work, compassionate leadership has an important role to play. Adopting such leadership styles is an essential strategic tool that many modern businesses use to thrive.
Only time and societal evolution will reveal how far this will be adopted as a common leadership practice.
