How do we change teams, organizations, and systems to exhibit greater compassion competence? Compassion flows from the inside out, so an important place to start is with self-compassion. In celebration of International Self-Compassion Day, we have asked four leading thinkers and practitioners of compassionate leadership, Monica Worline, Liz Grant, Jennifer Nadel, and Michael West, and why they feel self-compassion was important for leaders.
Each of these four bring decades of experience and wisdom to the field of compassionate leadership in their own distinctive ways. We are grateful to each of them for their trail blazing work to create the field of compassionate leadership and deeply appreciate their contribution on the Advisory Board of the Center for Compassionate Leadership.
Listen to each of their reflections on self-compassion in leadership, and you’ll hear ideas that are both universally shared and uniquely shaped by their individual contexts.
Why is self-compassion important for leaders in organizations? Monica C. Worline, PhD, emphasizes the importance of our inner voice, recalling research that shows that how we talk to others in stress situations mirrors how we relate and talk to ourselves.
Monica is one of the leading voices bringing compassionate practices into organizations, having co-authored the foundational book Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power that Elevates People and Organizations. She is the Faculty Director for Engaged Learning and Innovation at the Center for Positive Organizations, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. She is also a collaborating research scientist at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE).
Why is self-compassion important for leaders in planetary health and wellbeing? Professor Liz Grant highlights the importance of ensuring that our inner self and our professional self are connected, aligned, and authentic so we can be fully present to those we lead.
Liz, one of the Assistant Principals (President) at the University of Edinburgh, is a leader in the application of compassion as the value base for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. She is responsible for developing and supporting global health partnerships with colleagues in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) communities, and for local and global advocacy translating global health research into action. She is the co-director of the Compassion in Financial Services Hub at the Edinburgh Futures Institute at the University of Edinburgh.
Why is self-compassion important for leaders in politics? Jennifer Nadel puts self-compassion in the context of this historic moment, naming that the tougher the road ahead, the more time we need to make sure we have inner alignment and groundedness to respond helpfully.
Jennifer is a pioneer in the emerging field of compassion in politics, having co-founded the think tank Compassion in Politics. She is also Director of Compassionate Politics at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE). In 2022 she helped establish the Global Compassion Coalition, which now has a global reach of millions. Her most recent book, How Compassion Can Transform our Politics, Economy and Society, has been hailed as a guide to creating a more compassionate world.
Why is self-compassion important for leaders in healthcare? Michael West CBE knows that the relationship that we have with ourselves is key to how we relate as leaders to others and calls on us to have a nurturing, caring, giving, and fun relationship with ourselves.
Michael is Senior Visiting Fellow at The King’s Fund, London, and Professor of Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University, Visiting Professor at University College, Dublin, and Emeritus Professor at Aston University, where he was formerly Executive Dean of Aston Business School. He has been central to the development of compassionate and inclusive leadership in the NHS in England, Ireland, and Wales. His book, Compassionate Leadership: Sustaining wisdom, humanity and presence in health and social care, is an invaluable resource for compassionate leaders.