How Compassionate Leaders Deliver Results

“Putting people first and delivering results are not two separate goals,” according to the book, The Double Bottom Line. “Rather, a strong focus on people drives strong results, creating the double bottom line,” adds author Donato Tramuto (with Tami Booth Corwin).

Tramuto's findings are based on decades of experience, numerous studies, original qualitative research of 1,500 participants, and in-depth interviews with nearly 40 successful leaders who practice compassionate leadership.

“Research reveals that most leaders have an innate desire to be compassionate, but many don’t know how to put it into practice,” adds Tramuto.

The Double Bottom Line defines compassionate leadership as:

Listening to others’ challenges, needs, or problems, having empathy for them and then actually doing something about it.

Additionally, where empathy is the ability to think about and feel for another person’s problems, suffering, or experience. And, where compassion, on the other hand, usually starts with or coexists with empathy, but it adds the desire and action to relieve that person’s suffering, help them overcome a challenge, or otherwise better their situation.

Tramuto says that compassionate leadership is driven by a desire and a commitment to better your people, your customers, your stakeholders, and your community. It’s about understanding what touches the hearts of others in order to bring out the best in them and allow them to feel connected to their work and see it as a part of something bigger than themselves.

However, “practicing compassionate leadership effectively does not mean ignoring or setting aside the tough issues,” explains Tramuto. “It doesn’t mean that you let people off the hook if they need constructive feedback. It doesn’t mean that people who don’t perform or who do something to damage your culture, or your company shouldn’t be held accountable.”

“Now more than ever, leaders need to upgrade skills, such as communication, transparency, adaptability, and understanding and support of employee’s needs,” shares Tramuto. “I challenge leaders to see compassion in a different light, as a strength, a critical skill, and as an imperative.”

In the book, Tramuto explains how leaders can be strong, firm, and tough while sticking to their values and principles. It makes the case that compassion is power.

Finally, one of my favorite takeaways from the book is where Tramuto explains how great leaders are great listeners, and where he clarifies the differences between hearing, listening and understanding:

Hearing is the simple perceiving of sound. It doesn’t’ take any action on the part of the person hearing. It is passive.
Listening involves action. Listening is hearing something with thoughtful attention. A good listener is involved in conversation with committed participation. It involves a conversation.
Understanding requires thoughtful attention with some empathy and inquiry added. To understand, you must ask relevant questions and build as complete and accurate a picture as possible through reconfirmation of information shared. It is active and interactive.

Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Comments

Leading With GRIT

Feelings of being stuck, overwhelmed and frustrated plague too many of our workplaces says Laurie Sudbrink , author of the new book, Leading With GRIT . So, drawing on her over 20 years of coaching a wide range of organizations, colleges and Fortune 500 companies, Sudbrink provides in her book a road map to improve individual and organizational health . That road map includes teaching readers the principles of GRIT : Generosity Respect Integrity Truth Laurie Sudbrink "It is not only the concepts of GRIT, but how they are combined, that make them so effective," shares Sudbrink. Divided into three parts, Part I of the book is geared toward the individual, and is foundational to your success as a leader. Part II focuses on communicating with GRIT -- making communication easier, more enjoyable and more productive. Part III is how, in our role as leaders, we apply and sustain GRIT in the workplace, creating systems that help keep everyone on track....

Nelson Mandela Leadership Quotes

Here are my favorite Nelson Mandela leadership quotes: "Lead from the back--and let others believe they are in front." "The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall." "It always seems impossible until it's done." "I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles." "I've learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." "Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

Use TIPS When Providing Feedback

Eric Harvey and Al Lucia wrote a booklet called, 144 Ways To Walk The Talk . They provide the following great advice about giving feedback: 1. Make it timely -- give your feedback as soon as possible to the performance. 2. Make it individualized -- tailor your feedback to the feedback receiver. 3. Make it productive -- focus your feedback on the performance and not the performer . 4. Make is specific -- pinpoint for the receiver observable actions and behaviors.

The 6 Questions Marshall Goldsmith Recommends You Ask Your Emplolyees

As explained in John Baldoni's, book, Lead With Purpose , Marshall Goldsmith suggests all leaders make it a habit to regularly ask their employees these six questions : Where do you think we should be going? Where do you think you and your part of the business should be going? What do you think you're doing well? If you were the leader, what ideas would you have for you? How can I help? What suggestions or ideas do you have for me?

How To Lead With Deep Purpose

Having conducted extensive field research, Ranjay Gulati , author of the book, Deep Purpose , The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies , reveals the fatal mistakes leaders unwittingly make when attempting to implement a reason for being. “My interviews with well over 200 executives across 18 firms revealed the secrets of these companies—not the usual facile frameworks, but new ways of thinking about business that allow leaders and companies to operate with heightened passion, urgency, and clarity,” shares Gulati. “I call this, deep purpose .” Furthermore, Gulati explains that most leaders think of purpose functionally or instrumentally, regarding it as a tool they can wield. On the other hand, deep purpose leaders think of it as something more fundamental; an existential statement that expresses the firm’s very reason for being. These leaders project it faithfully out onto the world. “Rethinking the nature of purpose should prompt you in turn to re-imagine ...

How To Use Improv In Business

"It is a driving passion of mine to get people to understand that improv skills can be effectively translated into the business world with powerful results," says Bob Kulhan , veteran improv performer, university professor, and author of the fascinating book, Getting To "Yes And": The Art of Business Improv . And, "Nope, improv isn't just making stuff up," explains Kulhan. "Preparation and awareness are critical to successful improvisation." He further explains that improvisation takes technique, training, practice, thoughtfulness and intelligence. "Improvisation at its most effective is a deliberate strategy that draws on intelligence in concert with instinct. And, in business, improvisation thrives at the pivotal intersection where planning and strategy meet execution." Kulhan, who was trained in improv by notables including Amy Poehler and Tina Fey , also teaches you in his book the powerful difference between "Yes, an...

How To Demonstrate Your Leadership Credibility

Demonstrate your leadership credibility by: Practicing what you preach. Walking the talk. Ensuring your actions are consistent with your words. Putting money where your mouth is. Following through on your promises. Doing what you say you will do. Good, quick tips from the book. The Leadership Challenge . Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me a copy of the book.

How To Build Resilient And Thriving Teams

Wellbeing At Work is an essential read for leaders who want to create a thriving and resilient workplace culture. Doing so is critical when you consider Gallup’s research of a few years ago that found that one-third of Americans have shown signs of clinical anxiety or depression. To strengthen wellbeing in the workplace the book provides leaders various solutions, including a new metric to track suffering, struggling, and thriving — Gallup Net Thriving . In addition, the book covers: The five elements of wellbeing: career, social, financial, physical, community. Why career wellbeing is the foundation of the best possible life. How net thriving teams can improve businesses, neighborhoods, and governments. Why wellbeing initiatives work substantially better when people have great managers who engage them in their work first and establish trust. Why the fastest road to net thriving is playing to each individual’s strengths. “As workplaces aro...

How To Step Up During Six Critical Leadership Moments

The book, Step Up , shows readers how to step up to the plate during six critical leadership moments . Readers learn how to: Use anger intelligently in the workplace. Recognize and deal with terminal politeness. Make decisions when no one else is making them. Take ownership when others are externalizing a problem. Identify and leverage pessimism. Inspire others to take action. And, before you start to read the book, you can take (via a QR code in the book) a fifteen-minute online Step Up Leadership Assessment , which will give you instant feedback on your leadership readiness and point you to the most relevant chapters in the book. The book's two authors recently shared these insights with me: A Conversation with Henry Evans and Colm Foster, authors of Step Up What is a “leadership moment”? These are moments when leadership is required in order to see a problem solved, opportunity seized, momentum changed, rela...

Leadership Development Tips

The authors of the pictured book suggest that readers don't read their book cover to cover. But, if you're like me, you'll read the book that way. That's because I found, The Little Book of Leadership Development , by Scott J. Allen and Mitchell Kusy, a compelling read, packed with practical tips and techniques for both leading and helping others to learn how to lead effectively. What you'll find is basically 50 one- to two-page chapters, each highlighting a leadership tip. Some tips seem easy and no-brainers. Others are more difficult to implement. But, even the "easy" ones are surprisingly absent from many organizations, so they are well worth a reminder of what to do and how to do it correctly. Here are some of my favorite parts of the book that highlight the keen observations by the authors: As a leader, if you are active, involved, and perceived by members of your team as an individual who care about their development and growth , you will...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog