Create a Strong Team: The Balance of Compassion

In last month’s blog, we spoke about how to have and keep self-compassion. We talked about what it does for you as a leader and how to remind yourself to be self-compassionate. Without compassion, there is indifference. A lack of sympathy. No emotional effect. At times, it can feel like someone (or yourself) is being harsh when the compassion or empathy is not there. Although there is truth in this statement, there is a fine line between having compassion and making excuses. A difference between emotionally understanding and being “too soft”. So how do you know when you’ve crossed that line?

Yes, compassion can be a motivator but it can be a crutch as well. A type of support that over time if you rely on it for too long, you become dependent, and in return, you don’t build strength. If you don’t give yourself and others the chance to build (from a compassionate place) you will start to see a softer society. A society that seeks an easy way out, is unable to take constructive criticism and is discouraged easily. A society that relies on the crutch to keep them standing on their own two feet. A team that looks to you for all the answers instead of achieving success by taking steps on their own, falling down, and getting back up again.

According to Businessolver’s State of Workplace Empathy study, 68% of CEOs admitted they fear they will be less respected if they show compassion in the workplace. To build a strong work society, you need to have a balance between compassion and accountability. Accountability with compassion fuels growth, productivity, and connection between boss and employee. You show your team respect when you hold them accountable and without compassion mixed in, you create fear, distance, and detachment from your team. Accountability is about personal responsibility and with compassion, you can support others when faced with something uncomfortable like feedback.

As a leader, when someone makes a mistake, you can stand with them and at the same time, not encourage irresponsibility. Compassion is most fitting when people are down and by taking the time and energy to be with them from not-so-soft ground, you guide them from a place where they learn and grow. To create a strong team, help them come out on the other side of their mistakes from a place of understanding and responsibility. How, you might ask?

Respect your team members as individuals. A strong team environment blossoms when individuals are respected for their individuality and contributions. They all learn differently. Having compassion for their individual differences allows them to be who they are and be the type of employee you want them to be.

Practice Emotional Intelligence. Some team members may thrive on pursuing shared goals. Others may find healthy competition as their motivator. This is the same with accountability. How you hold one person accountable and the language you use may look different than another. A great leader embraces the different work styles and different forms of motivation and sees them as an asset, not an obstacle. 

Motivate with positivity. You will get greater results with positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement. When speaking from a compassionate mindset, your guidance will create positive thinking individuals who embrace your feedback and are able to move forward on their own two feet.

Compassion supports the connection between you and your team. Accountability supports others as you walk with them through their mistakes and guide them to make changes. Let us support you in creating a strong team and finding what your balance is between compassion and accountability.