Compassion is a deep awareness of the suffering of another. And thesaurus shows synonyms for Compassion, sympathy, consideration, clemency, kindness, and pity.
Compassion For Yourself
I just had pictures taken recently for the 12th anniversary of my business. And after my photographer, Crystal Allen bought me this yummy green smoothie. So when we get to my car, I set my green smoothie on top of the car, and I’m trying to put stuff away, including these enormous balloons. One of them hit the green smoothie, and it pours down the roof of my car and onto my windshield.
And I just looked at my photographer and said, “I am so sorry. I feel so disrespectful and unappreciative to you for buying me this wonderful green smoothie. “
Of course, she told me, “Don’t worry about it; I feel bad about your car.”
As I’m leaving, I’m beating myself up in my head. Why didn’t I think ahead? Why didn’t I think about the fact that the balloons could hit the green smoothie? Why didn’t I just put the green smoothie inside of the car or have her hold the balloons?
This incident is an excellent metaphor for what happens when something goes wrong, and we don’t give ourselves grace, and there’s no compassion for ourselves.
If anybody else did the same thing in front of me, I would have had the same response as my photographer! I wouldn’t think anything of it. But instead, in my head, I was tearing myself down for a moment.
We need to show ourselves more Compassion and allow ourselves this opportunity to slow down, take a deep breath, take stock of what’s going on, look at the big picture, and realize what’s happening.
Compassion In The Workplace
As you’re working with people, take some time to stop and think, “Wow, do I really know them? Do I know what’s going on in their life?”
Reaching out to them could help you connect with them on a different level.
The more you connect, the more you can make a huge difference. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve worked with people over the years that when they start to connect with other people, they begin to have these moments of like, “Oh, so that’s why Bob does what he does,” It gives you an excellent understanding about where they’re coming from. And then you can give the person the benefit of the doubt.
That doesn’t mean that we won’t hold each other accountable. You can still absolutely hold people responsible. It’s not about since life is hard for someone; we should take away their to-do list. In fact, that could be one of the worst things you could do for someone who is using work as an outlet.
The more you seek to understand and get to know the people who report to you, it can make a massive difference by building those relationships and having a stronger team that’s more committed. In addition, it can make a difference to add to your company’s culture.
If you feel like this isn’t something you are sure how to do, get in touch with me. Let’s set up a time to talk about what might look like for you to start exploring and delving into having more Compassion for your team members and the people who report to you.
If you want to talk more about compassion and how you can incorporate it into your workplace, send me a message.