When you listen, you begin to understand others (remember the point above this of putting yourself in others’ shoes?). People will talk your ear off if you let them. What they contribute to the conversation will be keen insights into who they are.
You’ll be able to relate and understand more when you listen.
4. Practice What You Preach:
If you’re a Christian leader, you must practice what you preach. You tell others that they have to forgive. Do you forgive? You tell others that it’s okay to make mistakes. Are you allowing yourself to make mistakes? You claim life isn’t about making money. Are you too focused on the next paycheck?
RELATED: 4 Essential Qualities of a Christian Leader
You get out of alignment when you don’t practice what you preach. You begin to lose your compassion because you’re holding others to standards you don’t hold yourself to.
5. Get rid of criticism:
Criticism is the killer of compassionate leaders. You no longer have the ability to sympathize and understand. Instead, you’re looking for faults and ways to express those faults.
You can become a compassionate leader: look for ways to rid yourself of criticizing words and actions. Instead, replace those with helpful, guiding words and actions.
This slight shift will help you help others.
You CAN Become a Compassionate Leader
You’ll slip up, mess up, and become frustrated as you work toward being a more compassionate leader. That’s okay. You’re not perfect.
While becoming a compassionate leader for your team, you’re going to learn that you also have to learn how to be compassionate toward yourself.
Work on the actions above. As you do, you’ll not only become a more compassionate leader, you’ll become a more compassionate leader. You’ll find yourself understanding, giving grace, and caring for others, and yourself, more.
That’s a perk when you become a compassionate leader.
This article on how to become a compassionate leader originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
