Accountability without compassion gets you alienated. Compassion without accountability gets you nowhere,” - Dr. Nate, Business Consultant.

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Holding people accountable with compassion means holding them responsible for their actions and behavior while also recognizing the humanity aspect and treating them with kindness.

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Many business leaders have to deal with the problem of balancing kindness and concern with attention to outcomes. They seek compassionate accountability but can’t visualize how to make it possible.

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Accountability means taking responsibility and not finding excuses or ways of blaming others. Accountable organizations do not dither on addressing performance issues. They deal with it as quickly as possible. Leaders don’t shy away from holding difficult conversations when they realize their team is veering from the goals.

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Compassion means concern, kindness, or care. When employees are not performing tasks in sync with the organizational values or if the quality of work is poor, the leader will hold them accountable. However, it is not a blunt ‘get it right or else’ conversation. They will support them through the correction process.

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How To Blend Accountability And Compassion

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Instead of insulating and embarrassing employees who do not do their tasks right, compassionate leaders must handle the situation gracefully despite the job being extremely tricky. They must not ignore performance letdowns or frequent mistakes but care enough to go to the root cause.

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Let’s get one thing clear here. Compassion is not about coddling or pampering. It’s about understanding the fact that we’re all human and we are all fallible.

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An accountable and compassionate culture provides just the kind of encouragement employees yearn for. It helps create a spark in employees and challenges them to do better.  

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Human nature is such that we always tend to look at others through a negative lens. We focus on what’s wrong instead of what’s right.

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Compassionate leaders are different. They stay focused on the positives. They look at what is right with their team. Great leaders are those who are constantly coaching, guiding, and reinforcing positive behaviors.

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Creating An Accountable, Compassionate Work Culture

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Compassion is often viewed as an emotion, but in reality, it is an action. Showing compassion demonstrates sensitivity for others, caring, and a willingness to help. In modern times, it is recognized as an essential feature for creating a productive work environment.

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Showing compassion to colleagues, supervisors, or subordinates is important. It creates a sense of security and trust and opens the door for conversations about job satisfaction and motivation at the workplace.

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Compassion can create an environment for active communication. It allows employees to discuss professional or personal troubles with each other. Such conversations can be stress busters and drive away negativity.

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It can also help maintain productivity while offering broad support to get through challenging times.

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How Can Managers Express Compassion

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The first step is to listen to employees and understand their problems without being judgmental. Keep asking about issues or simply check with them if everything is okay.

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This simple act can go a long way in gaining the trust and loyalty of employees. A few other steps towards displaying compassion are:

• Note carefully when employees are dealing with stressful times or are displaying unusual behaviors
• Accept constructive feedback you may receive as a manager
• Understand the problems of others by being in their shoes
• Remain open to change and approach a situation with an open mind
• Deal with the problem areas of each employee based on their nature, behavior, and emotional response. You will not succeed by applying the same formula to all employees.

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Conclusion

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It is important to understand that compassion must be displayed through behavior to convey your feelings clearly. Unless expressed through behavior, the emotions cannot be adequately conveyed. Managers must learn how to show others respect and empathy if they want to succeed as a leader. When an employee perceives his boss as a compassionate leader, it can help reduce anxiety, motivate them to deliver results, and make them more resilient to work stress.

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However, it is not easy to become a compassionate manager who demands the highest level of accountability. In the next part of this blog, we will discuss what it takes to be a manager who can be compassionate yet not let go of the highest level of accountability that various roles in an organization demands.

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To create the culture you want that will drive revenue and increase employee engagement and materially reducing attrition, contact Momentum Consulting Group to learn more and get started today.  Contact US at www.info@MomentumConsultingGrp.com