TALENT TOPICS
BY DAWN KAISER
LEADING WITH COMPASSION
DURING TIMES OF CRISIS
LEADING IS HARD. Dealing with a global pandemic
is harder still. Leading during a global pandemic is not
only hard, but it also is stressful, confusing and overwhelming.
When the pandemic first hit, spa owners and managers
focused on putting out the fires that needed to be
addressed: what needed to be shut down, how to shift
people to working from home for those who could and
how to furlough other employees as services to clientele
were stopped. As leaders, we focused on projecting calmness,
providing clarity and communicating regularly with
our associates, but most leaders have
overlooked a key element that is
needed during these times of
fluidity:
COMPASSION.
A crisis has disorienting effects
on our daily lives, our economic
activity and our mental health.
A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation in April
2020 showed that almost half of its respondents stated that
the pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental
health. Employees are emotionally and mentally overwhelmed
and overloaded.
As leaders, we must not give into the temptation to put
our head down and focus only on the outward (clients).
We need to focus inward as well, asking ourselves, “How
do we help our employees?” Compassionate leadership is
much more than just a feel-good add-on to your leadership
tool belt, it is a prerequisite among leaders desiring
to lead their people and businesses towards sustained
progress and a hopeful future. In a new study led by
Charmi Patel and Kiran Kandade, they surveyed 530 business
leaders, managers and their immediate subordinates
affected by the outbreak and what they discovered was:
l Compassion increases engagement and hopefulness:
Those who experienced compassionate leadership reported
a 40 percent increase in commitment and engagement,
and 45 percent reported being more hopeful.
52 PULSE ■ SEPTEMBER 2020