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Uncompassionate Leadership
September 23, 2021
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First, From the Heart
Times are hard enough. Some days it takes everything we’ve got to make it through the next meeting. Still carrying loads of old stress and now adding new stress, we do the best we can with what we’ve got in the moment. As compassionate leaders, we move through difficulty and challenges with open hearts and kindness for ourselves and others.
If you are part of this community, you are likely to dig into your compassion toolbox daily to build your resilience, widen your window of tolerance, and cultivate joy and wellbeing to keep yourself sustainable. Yet we all have a breaking point. We are human, after all, and it’s OK to give ourselves permission to feel our challenging emotions when they arise.
But what if your boss or colleague didn’t get the memo that kindness counts. That we all matter. That love, not fear, is the most powerful leadership quality. Choose to strengthen your own compassion practice with our new 4-week experiential Compassion Intensive. You can find details here, and early bird rates fly away September 30. See if your boss wants to come along :) Peace.
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Best of the Blog
My Uncompassionate Boss
One of the most common questions we are asked at the Center for Compassionate Leadership is, “What do I do if my boss is not compassionate?” Navigating a compassionate path with an uncompassionate boss or other person is never easy. Let’s explore how to courageously take on this challenge, and in so doing, perhaps discover a new level of mastery in compassionate leadership. Read more.
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Practice Matters
Old Friends
In the gallery of human relationships, old friends occupy a special section. They may have known us as kids, as we started out together in our first job, or watched us walk down the aisle. Maybe they cried with us in a time of profound loss, or flew 3,000 miles to surprise us at a significant birthday.
One day something new is at play. No, it’s not expansion or growth. Or the familiar, comfortable sense of complete trust. At first it’s barely perceptible. Before long, the space holding love between us starts dissolving before our eyes. As the world shifts, so we shift too. Values diverge. False meanings and judgments start to permeate our conversations. Our precious pod of safety is no more.
Grieve the loss. Give yourself permission to witness the emotions flowing through you - the pain, anger, sadness, and whatever else arises. Forgive. Compassion for yourself and each other will pull you through. Now see if you can also sense your deep appreciation. Such an important relationship was a gift on your journey, and is forever a part of who you are.
When can we practice? Always!
If you'd like to explore additional Practice Matters, you can find them here.
Photo Credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
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Recommended Reads
Institutions’ role in postpandemic support
by Antoine de Morrée and Al'ai Alvarez
in Science, 17 Sep 2021 - Vol 373, Issue 6561 - p. 1318
Leaders have a choice to create a supportive environment for their employees or not, and the cost of uncompassionate leadership is incalculable. On Physician Suicide Awareness Day, Antoine de Morrée and Al'ai Alvarez advocated that, after the pandemic, "institutions should provide a safe space for employees to share experiences, process events, and align work with purpose." Read the letter in Science Magazine.
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Fall Training Programs
Compassion Intensive
4 Week Course – Attend online Oct. 24- Nov. 16
This 4-week online series, led by Laura Banks and offered by the Center for Compassionate Leadership for the first time, condenses components of the 8-week Compassion Cultivation Training© course developed at Stanford to deepen our understanding of compassion through evidence-based research, interactive exercises, and group discussion. The Compassion Intensive starts 10/24/21 – Find out more and register now.
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PLEASE NOTE: The following are sold out – Click links for waitlist!
Compassionate Leadership and Resilience Training for Global Health Leaders
8 Week Course – Attend online Sept. 28- Nov. 16
SOLD OUT! Leaders from around the world are already benefitting from the groundbreaking training program developed in partnership with the Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics at the Task Force for Global Health.
Join your global health colleagues from six continents who are bringing their new compassionate leadership experiences and practices to work in their organizations and lives. Our next cohort starts on September 28, 2021. Find out more and place your name on our waitlist.
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Compassionate Leadership and Resilience Training for Business and Nonprofit Leaders
8 Week Course – Attend online Sept. 29- Nov. 17
SOLD OUT! Join leaders from finance, technology, education, HR, healthcare, leadership development, and coaching as we build a more compassionate future together.
Our signature 8-week training program will build your compassion from the inside out and connect you with a powerful global peer community for ongoing growth, inspiration, and support. Our next cohort starts September 29, 2021. Find out more and and place your name on our waitlist.
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