How to Cultivate More Compassion
I believe compassion is an essential Leadership skill that is needed in today’s workplace, now more than ever before. While to some this is something that comes naturally, to others it takes practice.
Here are my top 4 tips to cultivate more compassion:
Start with yourself. We are often our own worst critics, beating ourselves up when we get something wrong or when we feel we’ve let ourselves down. It will be challenging to show compassion for others when you’re always hardest on yourself.
To practice more self-compassion start by becoming aware of your self-talk patterns. You may want to write down your thoughts or keep a journal of all the ways you criticise or talk down to yourself.
Get curious and ask yourself; “what’s deeper than that?” Notice what feelings or thoughts come up from that and ask yourself again; “what’s deeper than that? How can I show myself kindness in this situation? What if there is no right or wrong? Where am I holding onto self-judgment?”Listen with your heart. Research tells us that we have on average 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day and this constant flow of thinking prevents us from deeply listening when in conversation with others. Instead, before responding, take 3 conscious breaths. Try summarising and reflecting back on what you heard before you respond with your own thoughts.
Practice getting comfortable with silence — this is challenging for many of us but is very powerful and allows the other person to be truly seen and heard.Practice presence. Whether it’s mindfulness or meditation, practicing silence, stillness, being in the moment, and gratitude, are ways we can tune into our feelings and in turn to those around us. Try my Heart Expansion meditation here: https://bit.ly/3gWqZLe
Practice Kindness. Smile at strangers, let someone else go ahead of you in a line, consider donating to a charity or a favourite cause, buy coffee for a stranger or bake cookies and share them with your team. Small acts make a huge difference.