Compassionate Leadership, What is it and Understanding the Importance of Unspoken Communication in it.

Many will already be aware of the concept of the compassionate leader and know the part that the unspoken word plays in communication. There are numerous examples of research that suggest compassionate leadership is impactful and that communication is as much about what is unspoken than spoken. For example:

• According to Trzeciak, Mazzarelli and Seppälä (2023) a compassionate leadership supports employees to increase performance (Trzeciak, Mazzarelli and Seppälä, 2023) and;
• Mehrabian, suggests that only a small portion of communication relies on words, with the majority conveyed through nonverbal cues such as tone of voice and body language (Mehrabian, 1971).

But how often do leaders or organisations take the time to plan to be compassionate or consider why unspoken communication is important? Leaders and coaches should be aware of the need, and be trained where necessary, to use these skills effectively.

What is compassionate leadership?

A  compassionate leader is, as you might expect, compassionate but they also create a culture of compassion in all people in the organisation (Poorkavoos, 2016). It’s everyone’s responsibility to create an ‘organizational culture’ (Schein, 2010) that is:

• compassionate and positive, and,
• purposefully looks for signs that indicate the opposite may be the case.

By doing this the compassionate leader and compassionate workforce is:

• Taking measures to further support wellbeing in an organisation and facilitating personal growth and development (Rogers, 1957).
• Developing the ‘… sustained and practical determination to do whatever is possible and necessary to help alleviate their suffering’ (Sogyal, Gaffney and Harvey, 2017).

Advantages and Concerns about Compassionate Leadership.

Leaders can be concerned about compassionate leadership’s perceived disadvantages like:

• The fear of being ‘taken advantage’ or ‘not being taken seriously’ (Management Consulted, 2022), amongst others.

Yet the advantages include (but are not limited to):

• Better health, ‘vitality and cognitive function’ for the workforce and leaders who are ‘kinder and more generous –  tend to have higher incomes’  (Trzeciak, Mazzarelli and Seppälä, 2023)
• The staff body develop greater ‘…trust … influence…’ and belief ‘… in the company vision’ (Management Consulted, 2022).
• Decrease in staff absence. (Trzeciak, Mazzarelli and Seppälä, 2023).

Why understanding unspoken communication is important

Noticing the unspoken word is an important skill for a coach and, as you might expect, coaching academics write regularly on concepts like ‘noticing’ (Van Nieuwerburgh, 2020) and ‘intuition’ (Starr, 2021) in coaching. These are skills that can be utilised by the leader too.

If the unspoken word is left unsaid and not addressed in an organisation, it can harbour the vulnerabilities and insecurities (Brown, 2012) that may inhibit colleagues from moving forward in a positive and fulfilling manner, and potentially the organisation. Understanding this is important because effective communication provides ‘psychological safety’ (Edmondson, 1999), where individuals feel comfortable expressing concerns, fears, or aspirations. This can be achieved through compassionate leaders who does not judge, stigmatise, or reduce our place within our place of employment (Tehan, 2007)

The dangers of interpreting the unspoken word

Some caution needs to be raised because spoken and unspoken communication can be misinterpreted. Research suggests:

• That we interpret behaviours etc. based on our previous interactions with that person (Hassin, Uleman and Bargh, 2005). As such, leaders’ interpretations may be biased and the response misjudged.
• ‘Transference’ (where the coach sees the qualities of others in the client) and ‘countertransference’ (where the coach adopts the behaviours of the client) (Clutterbuck, Whitaker, and Lucas (2016) can occur in the coaching room and coaches should be aware of this danger at all times. This is something that compassionate leaders should also be aware of.

As such, when interpreting the spoken and unspoken word the compassionate leader requires many skills and heightened levels of self-awareness and the ability to self-reflect.

How do you start to develop a compassionate culture?

According to the research in Harvard business School, there are strategic approaches that can be taken to develop a compassionate culture. These include:

• ‘Start small … its not a major time commitment.
• ‘Be thankful … [it] keeps our eyes open…’ to when people can be compassionate.
• ‘Be purposeful … [about it and ask]… what … [and]  how …’ you can assist the person.
• ‘Find common ground …’ and help those not within your own sphere or team.
• ‘See it. Celebrate compassion in your organization…’

(Trzeciak, Mazzarelli and Seppälä, 2023)

Developing leaders that are compassionate and sensitive to communication can positively influence the organisation, the work force and support their own career path.

Reference list

BrownBrené. (2012). Daring Greatly : How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Penguin Publishing Group.

Clutterbuck, D. and Megginson, D. (2011). Coach maturity: An emerging concept. The handbook of knowledge-based coaching: From theory to practice, pp.299–313.

Dutton, J.E. and Spreitzer, G.M. (2014). How to be a positive leader : small actions, big impact. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Edmondson, A.C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, pp.350–383.

Hassin, R.R., Uleman, J.S. and Bargh, J.A. (2005). The new unconscious. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.

Macnuaght, M. (2024). Annual Leave Statistics UK 2023 & 2024: How Much Time Do We Take Off Work? [online] Timetastic – A blog about taking and managing time off work. Available at: https://timetastic.co.uk/blog/annual-leave-statistics/ [Accessed 13 May 2024].

Management Consulted (2022). Compassionate Leadership: Model, Benefits, & Examples. [online] Management Consulted. Available at: https://managementconsulted.com/compassionate-leadership/ [Accessed 13 May 2024].

Mehrabian, A. (1971). Silent Messages Implicit Communication of Emotions and Attitudes. Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Poorkavoos, M. (2016). Compassionate Leadership: What Is It And Why Do Organisations Need More Of It? Compassionate Leadership. [online] Available at: https://affinityhealthhub.co.uk/d/attachments/2-compassionate-leadership-booklet-1558606680.pdf [Accessed 13 May 2024].

Rogers, C. (1957). The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Personality Change. TACD Journal, 17(1), pp.95–103. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/1046171x.1989.12034347.

Schein, E.H. (2017). Organizational Culture and Leadership. 5th ed. Hoboken, New Jersey Wiley.

Sogyal, R., Gaffney, P. and Harvey, A. (2017). The Tibetan book of living and dying. London: Rider Books.

Starr, J. (2021). Coaching Manual: Your Step-by-step Guide to becoming a Great Coach . 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Business.

Tehan, M. (2007). The Compassionate Workplace: Leading with the Heart. Illness, Crisis & Loss, 15(3), pp.205–218. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/105413730701500303.

Trzeciak, S., Mazzarelli, A. and Seppälä, E. (2023). Leading with Compassion Has Research-Backed Benefits. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2023/02/leading-with-compassion-has-research-backed-benefits#:~:text=People [Accessed 13 May 2024].

Van Nieuwerburgh, C. (2020). INTRODUCTION TO COACHING SKILLS : a practical guide. S.L.: Sage Publications.