Written by John Ballard, Ph.D.
When we list leadership characteristics, compassion is probably not first on the list, or even on the list, but perhaps it should be. Emma Seppala has an excellent article on compassion in the May/June issue of theObserver, a publication of the Association for Psychological Science. The implications for our leaders, organizations, the workplace, and ourselves are significant.
Seppala defines compassion as “the emotional response when perceiving suffering and involves an authentic desire to help” (p. 20). She cites U.S. Department of Labor statistics that reported over 25% of us did volunteer work last year. One of the keys to true compassion is that it is motivated out of a desire to help others, not self-interest. Apparently we have a natural instinct to help others. Even so, being compassionate is good for us.
To read the full article, click here.
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