You need both passion and compassion to lead
From PLN
You need both passion and compassion to lead
- by Leslie Dillon, from Leader's Digest January 2008
Leadership consultant, executive coach, and author John Baldoni blogs for Conversation starter at Harvard Business. His recent post stresses the importance of both passion and compassion in the discussion of leadership.
Passion is what gets you up in the morning and keeps you going. “Compassion is what you extend to others; it is the manifestation of caring and concern.”
While compassion takes a back seat to passion in leadership discussions--it’s nice to have, but not essential--in reality, if you want to use passion to rally your staff “to achieve something sustainable, you must do so with compassion--by recognizing and demonstrating your belief that what people do matters.”
Baldoni offers some suggestions for developing and leveraging these critical leadership traits.
To stroke passion:
- Set high goals. People who love what they do love to push themselves. “By setting stretch objectives, you push motivated people to do their best.”
- Stoke the fires. Give your staff frequent feedback. “When folks get off track, show them the way back…”
- Measure results. Show your staff “how what they do matters in terms of gains against goals. And whatever the measurement, broadcast it.”
To nurture compassion:
- Coach frequently. “Management is a process of enabling others to succeed, specifically putting them into positions where they can succeed.”
- Put people first. Insist on people-friendly HR policies. Consider flex time. Look for ways to accommodate those who want to work part time.
- Support volunteerism. Publicize your organization’s community service efforts. Recognize community need and make a commitment to serve it.
“What role do passion and compassion play in your organization? What role--if any--do you want them to play?”
(John Baldoni, “You Need Both Passion and Compassion To Lead,” Conversation starter, Jan. 14, 2008.)
