What can volunteering teach us about compassionate leadership?
by Teemu Alexander Puutio
Trustworthiness consistently ranks at the top of our wish list for modern leaders. Staying true to one’s principles, walking the talk and keeping promises is the minimum standard we’ve come to expect from our leaders. Perhaps surprisingly, trustworthiness is intrinsically linked to the character trait of compassion.
Without it, our warm perceptions of trustworthiness quickly move to a much colder register of perceived intentions, ranging from indifference to pettiness and even cruelty. Showing up consistently is not enough, we want our leaders to also care while doing so.
The most pressing problem with the above is that compassion is not exactly straightforward to foster and develop among the typical demands leadership positions impose. In fact, compassion is often the first character trait that gives way ahead of the more urgent demands of the task, as exemplified by a growing number of CEO faux-pas laid bare in the age of social media.
This doesn’t mean that the situation is hopeless. Far from it, as there are numerous proven ways leaders can build up their levels of compassion. Perhaps the most powerful of them all is to engage in the practice of leadership in a compassionate setting.
The Global Shapers Community is a great example of a community service initiative that weaves compassion with leadership by design.
Since 2011, thousands of young leaders have passed through the initiative. During a research project over several years we interviewed hundreds of past and current members, it's time to showcase what we’ve learned.
Continued at https://lnkd.in/gRFJmqM7
