Page 44 - Investment Advisor - November 2021

A few decades ago, leaders liked to say,
“Don’t bring me problems, bring me solu-
tions.” A compassionate leader will say
“Bring me the problem and/or bring me
the solution, whichever you prefer. I have
time to hear you and seek to understand
you. I have the space to help you and sup-
port you in finding the best solution for
everyone; two heads are better than one.”
Here’s an example: Let’s say you are
a leader who is fantastic at serving your
clients and your commitment to doing so
has resulted in a large client base and a [Judgment] is employed to evaluate
steady stream of referrals. But now your
hands are increasingly full with servicing and make use of the collective greatest
clients, and you have less time to work on
business solutions. This leaves little time strengths, not to judge individuals’
to help the other professionals in your
firm solve the challenges they’re facing. strengths against their weaknesses. To put
What do you do? Do you tell people you it simply, [these] leaders hire happy people.
don’t have time? Taking the compassion-
ate approach, you would free your time to
sit with your employees, and if you don’t has a stressed team, and compassionate Now, bringing out happiness in people
have time, you would ask your employees leader will ensure they are managing their can be a bit scary. In doing so, it’s possible
to help you free your time. Then together, stress first. to build their trust to the point that they
you’d sit with them more often, and you’d What do firms with compassionate leave the firm to pursue plans they’re
take the time to understand their prob- leadership look like? One thing that’s more passionate about. Most leaders,
lems. Cooperatively, you’d identify solu- striking about compassionate leaders understandably, don’t like turnover.
tions that globally help all firm employees, is the absence of the kind of judgment Either employees will contribute their
not just you and not just this one employee. that’s been deeply woven into traditional unlocked talents to your business, or they
The solutions that a compassionate leader businesses’ cultures that causes stress. will move on, allowing you to hire a per-
would deploy would be globally beneficial, Team members aren’t judged in terms of son who you’re even happier to work
not simply beneficial to one or two people. whether they are doing a task in the right with. Either way, your compassionate
Today, compassionate leaders serve way or wrong way, whether they’re strong leadership will have created goodwill,
as an integral part of the team, and they or weak performers, or whether they’re a and you’ll have remained true to a leader-
actively help work through their peo- good fit for the business’s culture. ship approach that so far has proven that
ple’s problems at a strategic level, rooted Judgment within compassionate lead- caring about your well-being shows oth-
in each employee being healthy. But they ership cultures is different. It is used to ers how to care about their well-being too.
don’t just help when they happen to have determine which solutions are the best for In turn, when everyone is taking
time available; they deliberately work the whole team, not which person is the care of themselves, the business wins
below full capacity, leaving space in their best. It’s employed to evaluate and make because there is more time to focus on
schedules for strategic problem solving use of the collective greatest strengths, the business itself. If there’s anything
that compassionate leadership requires. not to judge individuals’ strengths against I’ve learned in 20 years of consulting,
their weaknesses. To put it simply, com- it’s that being good to yourself and your
COMPASSION REQUIREMENT: SELF passionate leaders hire happy people. people is a no-lose proposition.
And that brings us to a key requirement This practice tears down the tradi- And being good to people doesn’t
of compassionate leadership: A leader tional employee evaluations and brings need money. Happiness and wellbeing is
prioritizes their well-being first. It’s well out the best in an organization’s people the key leadership driver that produces
established in psychological research that by making them feel seen, respected and the money.
the energy characteristics of people within valued, to the point where the leader not
an organization shift to mirror those of only cares about their happiness but will Angie Herbers is an independent consultant to
their leaders. As sure as night follows day, roll up his sleeves to empower a person the advisory industry. She can be reached at Adobe Stock
a stressed leader will soon find that she to find their own happiness. [email protected].

42 INVESTMENT ADVISOR NOVEMBER 2021 | ThinkAdvisor.com