Want to be a Compassionate Leader? Call Your Mom!

“Son, you have lost weight and look a bit weak. You should eat more. Here, let me fix you something.”
“Mom, I’m fine, just a bit tired from my trip. How about you fix me a great breakfast in the morning?”
Mom relents, I go to bed.
It is 2 am. I have just gotten off a long international flight and am visiting my mom while on a business trip to Mumbai. This is déjà vu. My mom tries to fatten me up in three days to make up for the 362 days in the year when she does not get to feed me. I try not to remind her that I am 44 years old and quite capable of taking care of myself…
The next day, I am at the LinkedIn office in Mumbai. A lady in her 50's stops me hesitantly as I walk past the kitchen. “This is my son’s resume,” she says. “He’s a very smart boy. Can you please do something for him?” Her face is both hopeful and a bit scared. She’s fearful that I might not react well to her solicitation and cause a black mark on her employment record, but her desire to help her son is too great.
I look at the resume, fully expecting a new college grad’s resume. It is not easy to find a job in India; youth unemployment is in double digits. But I am surprised. Her son seems to have a good track record as an accountant and is currently employed at a multinational.
“Your son is doing well. You should not worry about him.”
“But his salary is very low; perhaps you can help him find a better job?”
Her eyes are hopeful. “Ok, let me see what I can do.” She lights up. I bring the resume back to my desk and make a note to follow up.
Mothers care.
Mothers always think about their children’s well-being. They want us to eat more, have a better career.
Mothers don’t expect anything in return.
Compassionate leaders do the same.
Compassion is the most important quality in a leader.
Compassion creates lasting employee loyalty, a bi-directional compact based on mutual trust and well-being. You can’t buy that with more money or stock options.
Go ahead. Pick up the phone.
(Photo: digitalskillet/Getty)

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