There are all types of leaders out there, some good, and some bad. It takes all types to make the world go around. If an organization have compassionate leaders, they are extremely blessed.

You have to realize how the majority of leaders think; it is all about the running of the organization. They are driven by achieving results and improving the bottom line. Far too often, I have often received requests by clients to help their technical/operational leaders to develop more “soft skills” in leading their teams. In a corporate world greatly driven by targets and KPIs, no wonder leaders find it challenging to do that.

Many leaders thus manage with intimidation and an iron fist, especially when frustration sets in. They feel this is the way to go in order to accomplish the goals they have to meet. These leaders feel that the employees will not produce and get the job done if someone is not constantly on them, pushing them to get the job done.

What these leaders don’t realize is that at some point they are going to break down these employees and they will not be able to take this type of treatment anymore. When this occurs, you have not only lost a valuable employee, but now you don’t have anyone to fill that position.

We all know you cannot achieve compassionate leadership without having a compassionate leader. If you have had the pleasure of working with a compassionate leader, you will never want to work with any other type of leader again.

An effective leader is one that knows how be compassionate and manage the employees in order to get the job done. They are able to meet the needs of the employer and the employees. The compassionate leader knows how to strategize in order to get the work completed, therefore fulfilling management goals while treating employees like human beings.

Compassionate Leadership is obtained by managing with your head and your heart. One uses their knowledge and business expertise combined with caring about the people they work with to get the job done. I can bet you will get far more work done with this type of leadership than with the leadership of someone who uses intimidation.

It is not impossible to change an intimidating leader into a compassionate leader. You just have to teach them and show them how it is done.

Here are some suggestions on how to accomplish changing an intimidating leader into a compassionate leader. The employees will have to buy into this change too.

• Make time to get to know your employees. They need to see that there is a human side to you. The employees have to be able to relate to you before they can ever begin to like you and trust you. Think about it. If you were continually managed by intimidation, it would be hard for you to believe that person could change.
• Conduct meetings with all of the employees on all shifts. Let them know there are changes being made and the way they were managed previously is changing. Let them know there is a better way to manage and you have opted to utilize that method. Explain that it is not only better for the employees, but it is what is best for the organization, too.
• Apologize to your employees and be honest with them about your previous management style. Explain that is how you were trained and so that was the type of leader you were. Let them know that way was wrong and you will not be using it anymore.
• Let the employees know that you are a team and everyone plays an equally important role in making the team work. If one person is not working up to their fullest potential, it affects the entire team. They need to know they make a difference and that they matter.
• The employees need to know they are what it is that makes the organization operate. They need to be made aware of the mission and vision of the organization and know that they are a part of it. It is important that they know that you want to hear from them.
• You want to encourage them to speak freely with no fear of retaliation. Solicit their ideas and suggestions to help improve the organization.
• If you can use their suggestions or ideas to better the organization, make sure you thank them. As a token of your appreciation give them something, such as a restaurant gift certificate for dinner for two. If they made a suggestion and you can’t use it, give them a gift card for lunch, such as Starbucks or Coffee Bean and attach a note saying thank you. Explain you can’t use their suggestion now but may be able to at a later date.

Both Leadership and employees want to belong and they need to make a difference. It is very easy to identify an organization that has compassionate leadership versus one that doesn’t. The employees and leadership are happy, engagement goes up, and so does productivity.

To answer the question regarding: “Compassionate Leadership, Does It Exist?” The answer is yes it does. Sometimes you have to re-educate and retrain individuals to find it and at other times it is just staring you in the face. Compassionate leadership is the best way to manage your employees.