Building Business with Soul: Compassion and Resilience in Business

By Arliss Dudley-Cash

The last couple of years have been challenging for businesses in one way or another. Many businesses did not survive the shutdowns of the pandemic which makes many wonder how those businesses that did survive managed to be resilient. Resiliency is our ability to bounce back from challenging situations which impact every area of our lives. Often when we think of being resilient, we think of pushing ourselves to our limits and beyond. What if I told you there is a different, more gentle way, to step into resiliency and more easily bounce back from adversity through the superpower of compassion in business? There is! Let’s dive in.

According to the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research at Stanford University, compassion is a “concern for the wellbeing of others,” and “is the feeling that arises in witnessing another’s suffering and that motivates a subsequent desire to help.” How does this relate to business resiliency?

Circumstances like the pandemic impact both the customer/client and business, alike. The business who recognizes that shared suffering and reaches out to their customer/client with compassion deepens connection, and creates a culture of acceptance and brand loyalty. Business owners who reach out to their employees and support staff with compassion create safe work environments, and foster creativity and a feeling of belonging and teamwork. Owners who treated themselves with compassion are more likely to pivot when met with a challenge, release self judgement, and make hard decisions from a calm and mindful place. This process of compassion starts with self-compassion on the part of the business owner and has a ripple effect out to the employee, customer/client, the community, and beyond.

Author Dr. Kristen Neff highlights the importance of self-compassion and how this is the seed for having more compassion for others. According to Dr. Neff, self-compassion is made up of three components: kindness, shared humanity, and mindfulness. Kindness is the practice of being warm and understanding with ourselves, especially during times when we feel we have made a misstep or fallen short. This contrasts with the societal norm of ignoring an experience of suffering, or shaming/blaming ourselves when a misstep is perceived. Shared humanity is knowing that we are not alone and that there are other people who have made it through challenges similar to the ones we are experiencing, because we are all human. This contrasts with the societal norm of isolation and feeling like we are the only ones making missteps or falling short. If you are looking for a deeper discussion on the practice on mindfulness check out the September–October 2022 edition of Ke Ola Magazine. When we step into a place of compassion in our business, we are saying that we are willing to be kind, understanding, and nonjudgmental with ourselves and others. Talk about a superpower for resiliency!

Dr. Kristin Neff also offers a free self-compassion assessment on her website: self-compassion.org. Itʻs a great way to see where you are at. The results may surprise you!

In the last few decades, we’ve seen a rise in more businesses integrating compassion into their business model. Businesses have the power to shape the societies in which they operate. Imagine a world filled with businesses with compassion as one of their core values. That is a world I want to live in. We can be drivers of compassionate change or stick to the old “dog eat dog” status quo. We each get to choose how we operate in our business and life. What are you going to choose?

How can we practice self-compassion and compassion for others in business?

Here are a few ideas:

• Speak to yourself and others in a kind, encouraging, and positive manner
• Frame failures or mistakes as learning experiences
• Take time for rest and relaxation and set boundaries around time spent working
• Encourage open and honest dialogue around your own and your team members’ mental, physical, and emotional well being
• Take time to rest and recover when sick and encourage team members to do the same with generous health benefits and sick time
• Take time for major life events like births, deaths, and marriages, and give team members the same grace to deal with similar events

For more information: soullutions.com