There is a fine line between being too compassionate – avoiding conflict in the interest of always having harmony or making too many concessions rather than addressing challenges – and being not compassionate enough – care only about results, not the people or show a complete lack of sympathy for the problems of others.
A good leader must have compassion – but keep it balanced. Compassionate leaders:
- Genuinely care about their employees
- Are concerned about both work-related (professional) and non-work related (personal) problems
- Are readily available and willing to help by providing guidance and/or referring to other resources to assist
- Are empathetic with others
Compassionate leaders are strong relationship builders because they care about and understand others and realize that work cannot be separated from personal life.
How about you? Are you a compassionate leader?
