Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way

"Leadership is hard. But how do you balance compassion for your people with effectiveness in getting the job done? A global pandemic, Depression-level unemployment, civil and political unrest. From New York to Barcelona to Hong Kong, it feels as if the world as we know it is faltering. Economies are unwinding; jobs are disappearing. Through it all, our spirit is being tested. Now more than ever, it's imperative for leaders to demonstrate compassion. Compassion is the quality of having positive intentionsand real concern for others. Compassion in leadership creates stronger connections between people. It improves collaboration, raises levels of trust, and enhances loyalty. In addition, studies find that compassionate leaders are perceived as stronger andmore competent. But, as founder and Managing Director of Potential Project Rasmus Hougaard and his longtime coauthor Jacqueline Carter show in this powerful, practical book, most leaders and experts overlook a key aspect of compassionate leadership: compassion on its own is not enough. You must always balance caring for your people with leadership wisdom: effectiveness in getting things done. These two elements-wisdom and compassion-are forever in tension with each other, and every leader has experiencedtimes when they erred too much on one side or the other, with costly consequences. Being an effective leader often requires giving tough feedback, making hard decisions that disappoint people, and, in some cases, laying people off. Showing compassion in leadership can't come at the expense of wisdom and effectiveness. You need both, and this book shows you how to strike the right balance. With rich stories and examples based on data from fifteen thousand leaders in more than five thousand companies spanning nearly one hundred countries, as well as practical tools, assessments, and advice for leaders and managers at any level, Compassionate Leadership is your indispensable guide to doing the hard work of leadership in a human way"--
Drawing on real-life stories and examples based on data from 15,000 leaders in more than 5,000 companies around the world, this must-have leadership resource shows how to balance compassion for employees with effectiveness in getting the job done. 50,000 first printing.
Leadership is hard. How can you balance compassion for your people with effectiveness in getting the job done?A global pandemic, economic volatility, natural disasters, civil and political unrest. From New York to Barcelona to Hong Kong, it can feel as if the world as we know it is coming apart. Through it all, our human spirit is being tested. Now more than ever, it's imperative for leaders to demonstrate compassion.But in hard times like these, leaders need to make hard decisions&;deliver negative feedback, make difficult choices that disappoint people, and in some cases lay people off. How do you do the hard things that come with the responsibility of leadership while remaining a good human being and bringing out the best in others? Most people think we have to make a binary choice between being a good human being and being a tough, effective leader. But this is a false dichotomy. Being human and doing what needs to be done are not mutually exclusive. In truth, doing hard things and making difficult decisions is often the most compassionate thing to do.As founder and CEO of Potential Project, Rasmus Hougaard and his longtime coauthor, Jacqueline Carter, show in this powerful, practical book, you must always balance caring for your people with leadership wisdom and effectiveness. Using data from thousands of leaders, employees, and companies in nearly a hundred countries, the authors find that when leaders bring the right balance of compassion and wisdom to the job, they foster much higher levels of employee engagement, performance, loyalty, and well-being in their people.With rich examples from Netflix, IKEA, Unilever, and many other global companies, as well as practical tools and advice for leaders and managers at any level, Compassionate Leadership is your indispensable guide to doing the hard work of leadership in a human way.