T
raditionally, it’s always paid
to be a professional arsehole.
After all, the corporate jungle
can be brutal, with enough
egos and backstabbing to make
federal politics seem like a
sorority pillow fight.
Navigating through the rich history of work,
compassion’s long been peripheral. To be frank- it’s never really been necessary. But we’re
living in interesting times, and compassion is, arguably
for the first time, making its presence felt in the corporate
world. Especially given research that presents its direct
relationship to increased levels of productivity and that
other all-important P-word – profit.
“Machismo is an ineffective way of managing working
relationships,” states Alain de Botton, author,
philosopher, and all-round compassionate guy.
De Botton’s also founder of The School of Life, a global
organisation that runs training on emotional intelligence.
“But machismo was once an effective strategy,” he adds.
“Giving brusque commands is a good way to get people
to push a coal trolley faster, for example. When the work
is physical, emotional distress doesn’t hold up progress.
Today, the world of work is very different.”
It seems small cruelties and failures of compassion are
costing us. This might seem counter-intuitive to the
ambitious alphas out there, but there’s a fast-growing
trend that outs the realisation that failures of being
compassionate are illogical, self-defeating even.
“Getting the best out of people at work is a complex
job – and one of the most important practical tasks of
management,” says de Botton. “Employees who understand
the value of what they’re doing and who aren’t drained by
anxiety and conflict will produce more, and better, work.”
Dr Emma Seppälä agrees: “When organisations make
the effort to promote an ethic of compassion, the result is
a happier workplace and often an improved bottom line.”
BUILD SUCCESS
(AND PROFIT)
THROUGH
COMPASSION
NICE GUYS, WE HAVE GOOD NEWS- YOUR DAYS OF FINISHING LAST
ARE NUMBERED. TAKE A SEAT AS
WE ALL TALK ABOUT OUR FEELINGS.
WORDS: DAVID HALLIDAY. PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES.
Seppälä is Science Director of Stanford University’s
Centre for Compassion and Altruism Research and
Education, and author of The Happiness Track. She’s one
of the many voices in compassion research finding that
the emotional tenor of management culture is shifting.
It’s not compassion for compassion’s sake either,
says Stuart Taylor, CEO of Springfox, a Melbourne-based
organisation specialising in resilience training. Through
their research (surveying 26,000 people in Australia and
overseas) Springfox found that large organisations aren’t
running in compassionate ways.
“Our data suggests 55 per cent of people worry
excessively,” says Taylor, “and a big part of that is living
in a fear-based culture, which inhibits creativity and
increases staff turnover.”
If you need more convincing of compassion’s business
case, research from Harvard Business School found that
leaders projecting warmth are more effective than those
who project machismo. It comes down to trust – employees
are more likely to trust someone who’s kind and greater
trust, and greater compassion, improves performance.
Luckily, if you think you’re more Patrick Bateman than
Jason Bateman, don’t sweat it. “Empathy is not always a born
trait,” Taylor adds. Rather, it’s a learned skill.
Which is good news, especially if your workplace
is suffering from too much of the macho. If it is, start
opening up. Empathise. Pay attention to colleagues and
bosses. And above all, be generous and kind instead of
reacting to trivial hurts that, in the end, trivialise us.Try a little
tenderness
Organisational
psychologists
Monica Worline
and Jane Dutton –
co-authors of
book Awakening
Compassion at
Work – outline four
elements to help
build compassion
in the workplace.
NOTICING
The first step on the
road to caring is
paying attention to
others. People give
subtle clues when
something is wrong,
whether that be their
tone, the way they
work, body language.
Notice these and, in a
caring way, ask them
what’s going on.
INTERPRETATION
Compassion is
impossible to fake.
Start by considering
other people’s
suffering as legit.
That might mean
actively countering
any secret belief that
someone must have
done something to
deserve whatever
it is they’re going
through.
FEELING
Reach down deep
inside and you’ll find
the Big E, empathy.
When people we care
about are suffering,
we care too. This is
about expanding our
capacity for
empathy to the
workplace. Small
gestures will
increase your
approachability and
people will feel more
connected to you.
ACTING
Think of this as
an improv class.
Take compassionate
action from the
circumstances at
work. Zero in on your
suffering target and
then compassion
the shit out of them,
tailoring your action
to meet their needs.
For employers, that
means listening,
offering work
flexib i lit y, a n d
making small
gestures to show
you care.HOW TO
MEN OF THE YEAR 2017 GQ.COM.AU 127