There’s a lot of talk about the need for empathy in leadership.
But there’s a missing piece.
Empathy sounds good. But in practice, it can be tricky. Leaders don’t generally know about the host of problems that can accompany empathy. That can land them in hot water.
There’s a secret element for healthy empathy, though:
Self-compassion.
When empathy or compassion starts with the self, it folds out to others naturally and with nourishing boundaries.
Being able to listen well to others starts with you getting good at listening to yourself.
As Bill Ford put it, “Compassion has to start with yourself. Because if you’re not compassionate toward yourself, it’s very hard to sustain that toward others, because you’ll burn out.
With studies finding burnout in leaders over 90%, it’s an important consideration.
But for leaders and others focused on serving others, self-compassion often doesn’t come naturally.
Bill goes on to say, “That was actually a very hard lesson for me. Because it felt selfish.”
Self-compassion offers the same benefits as high self-esteem, such as less anxiety and depression and greater happiness – without the drawbacks such as ego-defensiveness, social comparison or narcissism.
# Self-compassion #PersonalDevelopment #ConsciousnessShift #LeadershipDevelopment #ThinkingDifferently #ConsciousLeadership #Empathy