Hello everyone! This weekend, I attended an outdoor wedding of the most wonderful couple who are clearly meant for each other.  During the exchange of their vows, compassion was a big theme.  We know that compassion is a major predictor of the success of a personal relationship. The vows helped me remember that compassion is also an important part of leadership, too.
 
What is compassion?  Compassion literally means to suffer together.  In other words, you see the suffering in others and respond with empathy and concern. 
 
We have all had those moments when we have seen a lack of compassion by leaders (Heck, maybe that leader was us). Whether it was a supervisor who didn’t give time off for a family emergency or a coworker who gossiped about something personal, a lack of compassion is can take many forms. A lack of compassion leads to a transactional workplace that lacks imagination and passion for the mission.  That's not a good thing.

In contrast, a workplace with compassionate leaders is expansive, full of possibility and brings out the best in coworkers. A compassionate leader sees the good in others, understands that life brings challenges, and finds ways to creatively resolve the issues that arise from inevitable issues that human beings experience. A compassionate leader listens to understand a person’s suffering and puts themselves in that other person’s shoes.
 
A large body of research supports the importance of compassionate leadership. In addition to significant health benefits, compassion has a significant impact in the productivity of a workplace.  Peer-reviewed research has found that compassionate workplaces have less employee emotional exhaustion and lower absenteeism. The Toyota Production System, which has resulted in the most productive workplaces in the world, embraces respect for people.  It is deeply rooted in the desire "to do things for others."  The Toyota Production System, which has resulted in the most productive workplaces in the world, embraces respect for people.  It is rooted in a desire to “do things for others.”
 
 What can you do to embed compassion in your leadership?
 
Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Keep your eyes out for colleagues who are suffering at work and take action to help.
• Have big ears and a little mouth – learn to become an active listener.
• Show appreciation and gratitude for someone’s contribution by letting them know.
• When things don’t go right, ensure that the person is given feedback in a way that is focused on their growth.
• Work on having compassion for those who you don’t see every day – maybe another department or someone in a call center.
• Develop compassion for yourself, too. We are all learning.

 
Here what I am reading:

• Leading with Compassion has Research Backed Benefits from Harvard Business Review. 
• Whither Compassionate Leadership?  A Systematic Review from the NIH 
• The Center for Compassionate Leadership’s listing of the latest research 

 
I hope you have a wonderful day and find ways to express compassion to yourself and others.  I am a lifelong learner and will be working at it right along with you.
 
All My Best,
Brenna


I love to write and share my passion for purpose driven leadership. Download your copy of my Purpose Power Worksheet, which is designed to connect you with your own unique purpose. 
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(c) Brenna Davis, 2025 - All Rights Reserved 

On Saturday, I spent time with my husband and dogs to walk some hiking trails a few miles from our home. Haakon got little Momo into his blue and rainbow harness, and his mom, Moka into her cute pink harness that shines against her caramel-colored coat.  We wound our way through the trees, over roots and along the shrub-lined trail.  The sun dropped dappled light through the canopy of Douglas fir trees and onto the tangled chaos of the underbrush. Moka, part chihuahua, papillon and hound, stopped at every new smell, which meant I had plenty of time to stop and listen. As I stood there, birds of every kind sang a riot of songs – so many and so happy.  They were celebrating the sun, which was finally out after weeks of dull, grey rain.  The birds were a reminder to enjoy and celebrate.  A reminder that as leaders, we need to take the time to slow down, savor the victory and celebrate!  

But how many leaders don’t?  It’s easy to forget to celebrate and move on to the next thing when your plate is overloaded. I understand because I am not perfect. I have not always recognized the right moments to celebrate. Sometimes, I have just overlooked them without noticing.  But now, more and more, I relish those moments. They’re a powerful connector for teams.

Angeles Arrien, the legendary cross-cultural anthropologist, wrote a lot about love, including about platonic love at work.  She learned in her research that there are six ways we express love cross-culturally around the world. They are called the Arms of Love: gratitude, acceptance, recognition, validation, laughter and play.  The more these qualities are present, the more loved we feel.  A celebration is a team ritual made up of all six of those things. It’s powerful.
 
What are some ways to celebrate? Here are a few ideas:

• Say something.  At a most basic level, just pointing out an accomplishment can help someone feel recognized and validated for their work.
• Have dinner together.  Whether it’s in a fancy restaurant or a backyard BBQ, the time together is what matters. Be sure to take a moment to note why you’re celebrating together.
• Write a thank you card.  When you see someone do something worth celebrating, send a card.
• Get someone a gift.  It can be a small gift card or something thoughtful that reminds you of the person.

 
If this topic resonates with you, there are a lot of good reads about the importance of celebration at work. Here’s what I am reading:

• Why Companies Need Ceremonies by Patti Sanchez for Harvard Business Review. 
• The Power of Celebrating Success in the Workplace by Frayda Liebtag for Forbes
• Celebrate to Win by Whitney Johnson for Harvard Business Review

This week savor every moment, listen to the birds and remember to celebrate! I will, too.
 
All My Best,
Brenna

I love to write and share my passion for purpose driven leadership. Download your copy of my Purpose Power worksheet, which is designed to connect you with your own unique purpose. 
Or subscribe to get this delivered straight into your inbox! 
 

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It’s almost summer!  In the Pacific Northwest, that means the sun hasn’t quite made up its mind to arrive yet.  Despite the typical lack of cooperation from the weather, it is high school graduation season.  Watching my nephew’s graduation, I flashed back to myself at that age. I remember wanting to connect with my purpose in life, so that I felt it had meaning. I had so much ahead of me.  I asked myself - how do I find my purpose? What is my leadership purpose?
 
Leaders ask groups every day to follow them in a certain direction.  Whether that is a garden club or a family business, leading is a sacred pact between the leader and the team.  Shared purpose makes the work easier because the group has intrinsic motivation. That said, as a leader you will likely have your our own north star that drives you. This is the reason why you are leading - your leadership purpose.  In my case, in addition to my life’s purpose, my leadership purpose to develop the next generation of leaders so that they can continue the work to build a better world. I think about how I work through that lens, and ask myself: how can I uplift another leader today?  So, what is your leadership purpose?  How do you find it?
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Finding your leadership purpose is all about connecting with your heart to excavate and bring to light what has meaning for you.  In the book Hello Success: How Courageous Leaders Use Their Core Genius and Voices to Make a Powerful Impact, I write about this process.  If you'd like to go deeper, I also share a more in-depth process in this free downloadable worksheet. Here are some highlights. 
 
Sit in a quiet place, with something lovely to drink, and a pen and paper.  Connect in with your heart by placing a hand on your chest. Breathe deeply.  Feel your feet on the ground connecting in with the floor.  Once you feel you are centered, write a response to these four journal prompts:

• What issue mattered the most to me as a child?
• What issue facing the world is the most important to me today?
• What is one small step I can take to improve that issue in my daily life?
• How can I improve that issue using my leadership at work? 

 
Answering these questions might have just easily rolled out of you and onto the page.  Or you might have found that the answer is not that easy.  In that case, my invitation for you is to just accept what you write. It’s all ok. We aren’t going for perfection or something to be written on the side of a marble pillar for some stuffy scholars a thousand years from now to translate and pontificate over.  We’re going for the imperfect now. 
 
Once you have connected with your purpose, commit to incorporate it into your leadership for a year.   Remind yourself with a note on your white board, mirror or OneNote.  You can also add reflection time on your calendar once a week to reflect on your purpose. 
 
Finding your leadership purpose and integrating it into your life is a process, but you're on the road. So, here's to your purposeful leadership.  Here’s to the graduates and the next generation of leadership.  And here’s to the imperfect now.
 
All My Best,
Brenna

I love to write and share my passion for purpose driven leadership. Download your copy of my Purpose Power worksheet, which is designed to connect you with your own unique purpose.  We can change the world together!