The topics of compassion and kindness have been on my mind a lot just lately as I have more and more conversations about change and uncertainty with leaders. They’re grappling with attracting the right candidates for roles as well as retaining the people they’ve got. They’re dealing with a post-pandemic world where they’re dealing with the practicalities of the ‘new’ world of work, too as well as dealing with the day-to-day stuff we’re all facing.
Fauxels, Pixabay
And when we layer on global events which have been creating and driving uncertainty, worry, stress and overwhelm for everyone, it’s easy to see how the range of emotions we typically see people experiencing in times of change – like fear, anxiety and anger – have broadened.
With this context in mind, when you’re starting to plan a change of any sort, one of the best places to start is by looking through things through the lens of compassion and kindness.
“Compassion is… a sensitivity to the suffering of self and others, with a commitment to try to alleviate and prevent it.”
Professor Paul Gilbert, 2017
By asking ourselves a few key questions, we can work through how we could best deliver a change that isn’t going to add to that emotional overload while keeping disruption to a minimum for everyone involved. Here’s a few to try…
What’s the most compassionate way to introduce this (or any) change?
How can we position this within the context of everything else that’s happening right now (including all the other change we might have going on in our organisation)?
How can we make space for this change, so people don’t feel overloaded? What can we let go of? What’s the real priority?
How do we deliver this change with compassion at the heart?
What communication strategies will support a more compassionate approach? How do we share the information we can, and clearly, so everyone understands what it means for them?
Do we have the right support networks in place, as the change is rolled-out?
How do we embed and sustain change through a compassionate lens?
How do we understand what’s worked well and how we could improve? What have we learned?
How can we all keep supporting each other to deliver on the benefits?
Finally, as a leader of change or manager of people impacted by change, it’s important to remember that we don’t have all the answers, nor are we perfect. Self-compassion is just as important for you, too.
“With self-compassion, we give ourselves and others the same kindness and care we’d give to a good friend.”
Kristen Neff
Let me know if you have any ideas of questions that could help us all think more compassionately – and kindly – as we plan change.