Compassion at Work; Co-Workers

Compassion at Work; Co-Workers

by Aleasa M. Word
Originally post on LinkedIn

As a member of the board for Compassionate Atlanta, I have an amazing opportunity to spend time with people who spend a lot of time thinking about how we can help others create a more compassionate society. Society as we know it, however, does in fact, have people in it who have jobs right? These people work with you and me regularly. Unfortunately, in these jobs/companies, we don't always see compassion for others.

One might ask how do you show compassion at work without seeming to "fufu" for lack of a better term. After all, work is about business and not about people's personal feelings right?
Showing compassion at work can be done in many ways. Today, I'd like to speak on the idea of showing compassion to your co-workers. Some think "it's not my responsibility to worry about anyone but me because they aren't worried about anyone but themselves." Wow, does that statement say a lot of what? When I hear people say things like this, it makes me sad thinking about how more often than not people in that space are lacking connection. We all need and want connection; however, when we have not had it for long periods of time or we've been treated poorly we can become bitter or resentful. Even good ideas can sound tough for people to entertain when they've lost their ability to hone in on connection with others regardless of the reason.
I've found one of the best ways for me to show compassion to co-workers is simply by listening without preconceived notions. Without trying to sound too much like a cliche' I can't help but think about the common statement we should listen to hear and not to respond. So let me ask....do you really listen to hear? And what are you hearing when you listen? The first mistake we sometimes make is thinking others are not our responsibility. In companies, we are all responsible somehow for adding to the bottom line. I'm not going to pay your personal bills but I'm surely concerned if what you do affects me negatively. If my teammates aren't carrying their part of the load the team suffers. Heck, I suffer! That's the same across the board with marriages, friendships, etc.
Even the most obnoxious person needs connection and compassion. They are rude and obnoxious for a reason. Showing them compassion is really tough sometimes; however, it is a sign of your strength and commitment to being the best person you can be. Today I saw an episode of Super Soul Sunday with LinkedIn's CEO Jeff Weiner as a guest. The most profound thought I got from watching that episode is "compassion is unconditional." That is so true. We often give compassion, caring, love, kindness, gifts and even open doors with the expectation (or under the condition) we will somehow receive a thank you, a kind gesture in return or something else. We become let down because our expectation is not met. The same holds true with co-workers. We are nice to them thinking they will be nice to us. Maybe they won't be. Is this the "condition" of you being nice? Is this the requirement for you to be compassionate that they must be that way also or should it be simply because that's how we want to be in our quest to be better people?
To summarize this and how we can all show true compassion to co-workers, I offer some last thoughts. Giving compassion costs nothing when given freely without expectation. Listening to hear where a person is coming from (whether you agree with it or not) costs nothing. Considering another's opinion costs nothing. Compassion is a gift. It keeps on giving. It is a way of taking it down a notch, considering the humanity of others and proceeding in a way that is beneficial and not harmful. A friend once told me always be compassionate and kind and if you're ever in a space where you can't be both remove yourself from that space until you can be. Maybe people are who they are for a reason you can relate to but if you don't listen how will you know? It could be simple and you could have the solution; however, with closed ears, you'll never know. If it's not simple, maybe simply being able to be heard for once will be the solution they need to be better, do better and work better WITH you.
No one can control how others act or treat us but we can control how we act or treat others even when they aren't the nicest people. My character in dealing with people who show ugliness or kindness is far more important to me than proving someone else's' character is ugly. At work, this helps me be more productive and benefits my company's bottom line while helping me continue to love the skin I'm in.

Photo: Pixabay/Gerralt

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