Compassionate Leadership In Time of Transformation
One of the five shifts of a thriving CEO in an entrepreneurial environment is leading with compassion rather than becoming critical or negative; what I call keeping an open heart, for short. There are many nuances to this shift that are becoming clearer to me, especially now as I am in the CEO seat again. I wanted to share with you my most recent tweaks on the lessons, in the hopes that they are of some benefit to you.
As you enter a new CEO/leadership role with a new group of people, you are personally the agent of change. Your ability to infuse the culture with certain elements of your own excellence and intensity is critical to the acceleration of the company. Especially if you are stepping into an existing culture, how you navigate this role is important for your success and well being.
Especially when you are in the thick of change, lead from compassion rather than criticism, despite reasons to do the opposite. Keep an open, courageous heart.
Compassion for whom? Stay centered in compassion for self, for the mission, for the collective team, and for the individual, balancing what is needed for success with the reality of where individuals are, and where you are.
Be consistent in articulating your vision for the company and a clear “why” that is relevant to the whole team – more opportunity, skill development, more compensation. You are re-recruiting each person individually to join you in this new endeavor, even if they have been there for many years.
Give people a chance to change. Stay open and allow a person to show up as a new version of themselves every time you encounter them. Do not jump to conclusions. People adapt and you should give them a chance to do so. But do provide difficult, open feedback very early. This is hard. Stay rooted in compassion for their process.
Be fair to yourself in asking what you need from the team very directly. If they can not deliver on that, especially if they do not want to deliver on that, they both hurt the company and themselves – no one likes not doing well. Do not avoid being direct and letting people know where they stand quickly.
From team members resisting change (ohh, you will know!), this can feel personal to you; emotional friction from you causing the change. You have negative energy directed at you. If you work to remove the “you” from the equation and not take things personally, then things will feel clear and you can take appropriate action. If you feel “offended”, it is a sign that your ego is involved and you can benefit from gaining clarity as to your own triggers. This is a great opportunity of growth for the leader.
As the leader, we also need to avoid shame: you are not doing anything wrong by creating the natural agitation of change. At the same, one needs to avoid the desire to fit in: you are shifting the status quo of a group, so by definition you will feel like you are not fitting in (which can create shame). You ride the fine line between being accepted by the group, little by little, one person at a time, and then challenging the group to the next level. High levels of self compassion aid in moving through this.
You will encounter a broad range of emotions. It is ok. You are naturally in a position of power and must be careful how you wield that. Feel all the feelings so you do not act out of them. Not getting caught up in the negative energy directed at you is critical. Stay centered by being aware of, feeling, and processing emotions, daily. Having rituals and outlets to talk about this and channel it is also key.
Do not operate out of fear. It is ok if people leave. Be active in recruiting. You will be ok in the medium term.
Follow the positive energy. Do not feed into the people creating negative energy. Keep in mind the responsibility to the whole team and the mission – no individual should slow down the group. Invest most of your energy on the ones buying in and starting to hum with you. Lean into what is feeling most fun, especially that involves leading others. (So do not lock yourself up with Excel just because it is the most fun).
Lead people emotionally. By staying centered, you are able to do your best to lead them to higher ground, away from resistance and negativity, and toward flexibility, acceptance, and rising up to the challenge. This will benefit them on a personal level as well, and you are being of service to your team in this way.
Include the vulnerable ‘how’ conversations. Part of the 'how' is embracing change. Explicitly talk about the journey everyone is going through and its challenges. These are hard conversations but important. Do your best.
Keep aligning constantly, ensuring buy-in for what and why and how you are doing things.
This inner complexity is why compassion in heavy doses is required. There is an opportunity for both you and your team to go on a journey of growth together and have fun along the way. But it’s hard.
I share this for your consideration, on your journey of Inner Mastery through entrepreneurial leadership, where you serve, thrive, and flourish.
Happy holidays to you. Wishing you deep rejuvenation this time of year. Thank you for reading and for your attention to these important topics at the intersection of entrepreneurship and inner mastery.
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