During the covid season, I was leading an organization with diverse teams across the Country, and I was leading the women Ministry in a multi-cultural church. It was this season, more than any other in my leadership journey, where I realized that compassion had to be at the very core of leadership. It was interesting to note some of the compassionate decisions leaders had to make in the uncertain times. In Kenya, for instance, the President reduced the PAYE tax from 30% to 25% for six months perhaps one of the greatest demonstrations of compassion from the highest office in the land. Leaders are called to always lead with compassion, especially during crisis but also always. Leadership in a Christian context is fundamentally relational; it’s about serving others as Christ did. Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45) urging leaders toward empathy, humility, and active compassion. I believe other faiths may have similar expectations to their leaders. Opportunities to lead with compassion will present themselves in different forms. When a team member is struggling with illness or loss of a loved one, when mistakes are made, when additional support is needed to meet targets etc.
Leading with compassion focuses the leader on the other person and what support they might need to perform better. The other side of this focus is the organization and the key performance indicators that must be constantly reviewed and evaluated. How does the leader then lead with compassion in this context?
Reflecting Christ’s Character
In my younger days, we used to wear a bracelet with the letters, WWJD (What would Jesus Do). Jesus was a leader, among many other roles. What lessons can we draw from his life on leading with compassion? From Jesus we learn that consistent acts of kindness are powerful reflections of God’s love. “To put others before ourselves is the essence of servant leadership,” as Mother Teresa famously counseled:
Building Trust and Unity
A fitting quote by Theodore Roosevelt captures this well: “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Trust grows when people feel seen, heard, and valued, all core outcomes of compassionate leadership.
When we look closely at the core competencies required of a leader, hardly will you see ‘ability to build trust and unity’ on the list. Instead, you will see what we all consider mandatory for any leader, communication skills, strategic thinking, decision making etc. A compassionate leader builds trust and unity among those he/she leads.
Transforming Lives
Author and Bible teacher, John Stott, emphasized the importance of leading by love and example. He said that “The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion.”
This reminder that leadership is influence rooted in love underscores the transformative potential of compassionate guidance. How am I leading? Am I leading with love? What kind of example am I setting?
Creating a Culture of Care
American author and speaker, Simon Sinek, perhaps captures this in this outstanding statement. “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.”
Such care fosters an atmosphere where individuals thrive, creativity flourishes, and purpose unites the team. Who are the people God has put in your charge? The ones that report directly to you and the ones you lead overall. What do you know about their lives and how do you care for them?
Whether we are reflecting Christ’s character, building trust and unity, transforming lives or creating a culture of care, one thing is clear; we will face challenges. Challenges from both within and outside. How then do we navigate these challenges?
1.Balancing Compassion with Accountability
The first challenge will be balancing compassion and accountability. Will compassionate acts be mistaken for weakness? Compassionate leaders must also be courageous. As we empathize, we must accept the person but refuse to accept below per performance, always encouraging the person to do better. The balance is in lovingly confronting underperformance without compromising standards.
It is important to note that true compassion does not undermine authority, it strengthens leadership through love and conviction.
Risk of Burnout
Compassion fatigue is real and every compassionate leader needs to embrace this reality. Leaders pouring into others and running the organization at the same time can be emotionally drained. Psalm 23 tells us the Lord restores our souls, pointing leaders to the spiritual rhythms of rest and renewal essential for sustainable influence. To avoid burn out we encourage leaders to take time to rest and recuperate
Navigating Ethical Dilemmas
Finally, when empathy seems to conflict with policy or profit, leaders must trust in God’s wisdom and the duty of care. We must seek heart-driven decisions amidst complexity. For every decision where an ethical dilemma exists, the leader must listen actively and humbly, hold people with grace and clarity, balance acceptance of the person and performance expectations. This will lead to a compassionate, people-focused outcome.
The book, ‘Management by Proverbs’ shares the story of the moment depression and hopelessness turned into pandemonium as grateful employees wildly cheered their boss, hugged one another and sporadically shouted, “God bless you, Aaron!”
They were cheering a leader who chose to show compassion after a devastating fire razed down his Malden Mills textile plant. The Mills owner chose to rebuild and rehire but also promised to pay all of his 2,400 employees their full salary for the next 30 days and continue paying their health insurance for another 30 days.
Leading with compassion!