Caring and Compassionate

Another trait of successful leaders is being caring and compassionate. There are many ways to lead but to have true followers, they have to know you care. Steven Covey said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” It really is true and the sure sign of a leader to to turn around and see how many people are following you.

When we talked about Napoleon last week, we talked about his positive attitude and positive action energized his troops. Not only did he give them optimism and a vision for the future, but he also attended to their basic needs. Because they were starving, he ordered a week’s ration of food and drink. Napoleon won the troops loyalty by showing them he cared. He reassured his troops if they were wounded in battle, they would get medical help as soon as possible. His caring and compassion built a bond between his men that could not be broken.

The temptation for leaders is to think of  people as a means to an end. They try to inspire and motivate without regard to their people’s feelings or issues. A successful leader will always try to put the interests of his people first. They will do everything possible to make their tasks and jobs easier. They will praise them for their successes and will take the blame for their failures. They will meet their people where their at. A successful leader will push only as hard as they are willing to push themselves. For this caring and compassionate attitude, they will gain their loyalty. Because of this loyalty, they will do everything they can to help the caring and compassionate leader achieve success.

When we build teams of people, we are leading whether we want to or not. As I’ve said before, we are all leading someone, even if its just our children or friends. The more we put the interests of others ahead of our own, the more success we will have as a leader. Remember to turn around occasionally look to see who’s following.

Have an awesome and compassionate day.

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