Leading with Compassion in the Workplace

Leading with Compassion in the Workplace

There is a popular quote in the compassion literature attributed to compassion scholar, Peter Frost (2003/2007), who stated, “There is always pain in the room” (p. ix). Yet, this pain is rarely acknowledged by leaders in corporate workplaces. Personal experience and scholarly research have convinced me that how we, as leaders, notice and respond to others’ emotional pain and suffering is becoming crucial in this post-pandemic work world. My doctoral research explored the impact of compassionate and non-compassionate leader behaviour in medium and large corporate workplaces. Using Narrative Inquiry, I documented participants’ stories about how their leaders’ behaviours affected them over the short and long term.

Whether leaders respond with compassion or not in the workplace, one thing is for certain:  the impact to recipients are often long-lasting. When leaders responded with compassion in the workplace, participants reported an increased perception of self and that their work was valued by their leaders. In addition, there was often a very strong feeling of loyalty toward the leader, bordering on admiration. Recipients of compassionate leader behaviour wanted to go above and beyond for their leaders. The most interesting finding was that compassionate leader behaviour was generative, in that it demonstrated to participants how leaders can respond compassionately to emotional pain in the workplace. Almost all recipients modeled these positive behaviours when they stepped into leadership roles, which speaks to the organizational benefits of leader compassion.

In stark contrast, when leaders behaved in non-compassionate ways in response to suffering in others, the impact was devastating for recipients. Participants reported significant suffering that impacted their physical and mental health, as well as noticing increased stress levels at work and home, feeling anger or rage, becoming disillusioned with their leader and sometimes the organization. For some, the effects of leader non-compassion were traumatic, lasting for years, and impacting their self-esteem and self-worth.

We can no longer avert our gaze from suffering that occurs in the workplace. Leading with compassion in the workplace is no longer a ‘nice to have’; it has become essential as we navigate this new world of uncertainty and divisiveness.

Blog author Maria Anderson is SLS Associate Faculty, DSocSci student and MA Leadership alumna. 

Frost, P. J. (2007). Toxic emotions at work and what you can do about them. Harvard Business School Press. (Original work published 2003).