#83 Compassion & Focus

The Focus Cast

00:00 Intro to Compassion
02:37 Oxford Definition of Compassion
05:30 How Compassion Relates in the Workplace
06:44 Harvard Stats on Compassion
08:35 Stats Follows People for 30 Years
12:34 Personality Traits of People Moving Up
14:55 Small Acts of Kindness from Employers
23:09 Berkley Study on Compassion
Definition: Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others

Compassion in the workplace: Why it matters for leaders/employers

• Harvard Business Review: A survey by Harvard Business Review found that employees who felt that their managers showed compassion were more likely to report higher levels of job satisfaction, commitment, and loyalty.
• A Canadian study assessed the personality traits of nearly 3,000 kindergarteners and followed them for ~30 years. They found that among men, independent of IQ and family background, those who showed the most kindness to others in kindergarten had significantly higher annual earnings compared to those who were aggressive or oppositional.
• In a longitudinal study from the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, the authors used validated research scales to assess the personality traits of people entering the labor market. After 14 years, and controlling for demographic and corporate factors, those who were selfish, aggressive, and manipulative were less likely to move up the ranks. Instead, those who were generous and agreeable were more likely to be promoted to a position of power
• A study by the University of Warwick found that employees who receive small acts of kindness, such as a thank-you note or a compliment, are more productive and have higher job satisfaction.
• A study published in the journal Pediatrics in 2018 found that medical trainees reported high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, which are indicators of burnout and a lack of compassion.

Positive Effects of Compassion

• Harvard Business Review: Rigorous research supports that being a giving, others-focused person is linked with a longer life, and can buffer the effects of stressful events on mortality risk
• Specifically, kindness can reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including counteracting high blood pressure. Kindness and compassion may also help us maintain vitality and cognitive function as we age

Solutions:

• Start with gratitude: Meta-analytic research shows that gratitude makes us more others-focused and motivates us to serve others
• Berkeley.edu: Contrary to what many may believe, compassion is considered to be like a muscle that, as any other, can be strengthened with relevant exercises—or can deteriorate and atrophy. In other words, your capacity for compassion can expand, if you choose.
• Johns Hopkins study found that giving just 40 seconds of compassion can lower another person’s anxiety in a measurable way
• Notice times where you’re feeling or lacking compassion. (Walking by homeless people when your busy, not helping friends and shit when your “schedule is to tight”)
• If burnout reduces compassion, unburn yourself bitch