Accountability and Compassion

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Dalai Lama

Accountability simply means to take responsibility, to not blame others or make excuses for conduct. Accountable organizations address performance issues as soon as possible and leaders have the difficult conversations when they see their team veering from the organization’s mission and values.

The word “compassion” means to suffer with someone, to actually “join in the suffering.” When employees make mistakes, act in opposition to organizational values, or produce poor work, the compassionate leader holds them accountable, while still supporting them through the correction process. As Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner state in their book A Leader’s Legacy, “The people we work with and count on are also human, and despite their best intentions they don’t always do what they say they will do.”

View the qualities of a compassionate leader

How they work together

Instead of isolating and shaming employees that mess up, accountable and compassionate leaders provide grace, not ignoring the poor performance or mistake, but caring enough to find out the root cause. Compassion is not about coddling; it’s about remembering that we’re all human. As Kouzes and Posner put it, “we all fail and sometimes we fail miserably.”

An accountable and compassionate culture provides encouragement and challenges employees to be the best they can be. It’s human nature to look at the world through a negative lens and to focus on what’s wrong instead of what’s right. Compassionate leaders stay focused on what is right with their team, coaching, guiding, and reinforcing positive mission-supported and value-supported behaviors.

How to create an accountable, compassionate work culture

Compassion is more like an action than an emotion. Showing compassion involves different elements, such as an ability to have and show empathy for others, demonstrating caring expressions towards others, and being willing to help others. More people are recognizing compassion as an essential aspect of a productive work environment. Showing compassion to colleagues, supervisors, or subordinates is important to opening the door for conversations about mental health, and in sustaining job satisfaction and work-related motivation. It can help build trust and develop mutual connections with others in the workplace, which is especially important in times when an employee may be facing a mental health challenge or experiencing mental health symptoms.

Compassion can create the space for active communication around mental health, allowing employees to voice any professional or personal troubles to each other, which can release stress and negative thoughts or feelings. If the department has a culture that is compassionate for one another, then an employee who is experiencing a particular difficulty at work or in their personal life is more likely to receive the attention, empathy, help and support they need from supervisors or colleagues, rather than feeling separated and losing focus. This compassionate environment can help maintain productivity while at the same time openly offering mental health support to get through the challenging time.

Fostering an environment of caring and support for your team will help these public safety professionals bring this same mindset to their actions in the communities they serve.

You can express compassion in the workplace by:

• Considering the cognitive aspect (e.g., I understand your problems); the affective component (e.g., I feel what you feel); and the motivational component (e.g., I want to help you out of this).
• Noticing when employees are undergoing some personal stressors, have just responded to a difficult call, or are displaying unusual behaviors, and try to make them feel comfortable and supported at work.
• Actively listening to employees without judgment.
• Checking in. A compassionate leader continues to check in to learn about the perspective of others, what their experience may be, and to help them in removing any obstacles in their path to success.
• Accepting constructive feedback you as a supervisor may be given.
• Acknowledging others’ problems as if they were your own. Having this understanding can be the best way to help an employee or department as a whole.
• Working with an open mind and being open to change. Small changes in daily routine can strengthen and increase overall job satisfaction and productivity. Compassionate leaders are ever ready to make these small changes and embrace new strategies that might benefit individual employees and the department.
• Understanding that compassion needs to be displayed through behavior. Unless expressed through our behavior, the feelings cannot be conveyed. You can have the best resume and most experience, but unless you show others respect and empathy, success as a leader will be limited within your department. When an employee perceives a supervisor or leader as compassionate, it can help reduce anxiety and make one more resilient to work stress.
• Demonstrating compassionate action by organizing regular department events that allow employees a chance to interact as a team, experience motivation to help and support each other, and contribute to the common goal of the department.
• Focusing on nonjudgmental conversations in the workplace that call for authenticity and openness among co-workers. In this compassionate environment leaders and co-workers treat each other with respect regardless of what position they hold.
• Praise hard work and achievements. This helps reinforce employees in a positive way and can bring about favorable changes.
• Slowing down at times. It is vital for leaders to pause at times and breathe. This allows you to slow down and observe what is happening around you and in the department. Pausing for a while makes it easier to sense or notice any difficulties an employee may be experiencing and act accordingly.
• Being self-compassionate first. It is important to be self-compassionate before you can express compassion to others. This helps in understanding the value of compassion and how it benefits you and others.

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Qualities of a compassionate leader

Remember, a compassionate leader is someone who:

• Is self-motivated and able to influence employees positively.
• Builds long-term trusting relationships.
• Is morally strong and has an ethical code of conduct.
• Has the ability to make a team feel secure and comfortable at work.
• Is aware of the needs of others.
• Is non-judgmental to the difficulties and opinions of others.
• Is resilient and self-compassionate toward personal distress.
• Can experience and show empathy.
• Can accept feedback and is self-driven to improve their skills.
• Is approachable and comfortable to talk to; an employee can find it easy to access them for any difficulties they face.
• Is solution-focused and willing to explore and listen to the causes of personal difficulties and underachievements.
• Looks to employ resources to solve the issues rather than criticize.
• Is passionate and dedicated to their work and their team. They are there to support and guide their team.
• Is willing to proactively help the team and share responsibility for each success or failure.

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