The fractures in our world are undeniable as we witness an era marked by division, isolation, and polarization. This sense of separation has seeped into our daily lives, and in this climate, it can be easy to lose hope. Still, the desire to live in supportive community remains as strong as ever. Compassionate leaders understand the path to building connection.

After a grueling 2020, and an even more challenging week one of 2021, how do we persevere and embrace compassionate leadership? Take these four steps as the antidote to a disorienting world: Slow down to understand what lies beneath all the activity, and to anchor yourself, stay focused on the compassionate leadership skills that are always productive, and seek to offer compassion to everyone.

Things feel overwhelming right now in ways that they haven’t felt in a very long time. This level of disruption makes it easy to feel that change is beyond our control or power. Compassionate leaders know there ARE things that we can do to bring change forward. Consider these three ideas to help settle yourself into a place of empowerment, and focus yourself for change.

No term describes the simultaneous presence of 2 positive attributes in an individual the way comorbidity describes the simultaneous presence of 2 diseases. This isn’t a surprise. Epidemiology has been around since the 1850s, while widespread scientific study of positive emotions and behaviors is more recent. This language gap should be closed and we propose doing so with a new word, “covitality.”