Assembling a great team. Honesty. Ability to delegate. Communication. Commitment. Confidence. These are some of the skills and traits that make up a good leader in the workplace, according to a recent article in Forbes Magazine.
Rounding out the list of these top 10 traits were positive attitude, creativity, intuition, ability to inspire.
Missing from this list are two traits I believe are integral to building a successful work environment are compassion and transparency. As executive director of a hospice, I believe compassion is part of our culture with our patients and their families.
I have learned that if I want my employees to show compassion to each other as well our clients, then it begins with me.
There is research to back me up. According to a recent study from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, fostering a compassionate environment has positive results. The study looked at workers in a long-term care facility where compassion was a key skill needed among employees.
By focusing on compassion among employees and fostering that environment, the study found there was a lower level of absenteeism, less burnout and a higher level of compassion for their residents in their facility. That has been key for me.
Hospice workers are also at high risk for compassion fatigue. By being a role model and a boss who shows compassion and encourages it, I can help minimize that burn out.
Because of the nature of hospice, the need for this can be greater. But I believe my strategies could work for any work place: providing formal and informal opportunities for staff to debrief and receive the social-emotional support they need to do their job. We have had formal support groups as well as informal, small group sessions and one-on-one counseling.
Following closely behind compassion is transparency. And it is something missing from many workplaces.
A 2014 survey from the American Psychological Association of more than 1,500 workers found that 25 percent of them do not trust their boss. And only half of them believe their employer is open and up front with them.
Transparency is an important part of my organization. I believe my team needs to know that I am human and I am real. I’ve experienced loss, death and grief in my own little life and have had immediate family members on hospice. I’ve also provided direct care in the field before becoming an administrator.
I’ve talked about these experiences openly and candidly with them, and they see that I truly do “get it” and can empathize with both family members and hospice caregivers. Employees tend to be more motivated and productive in working for a supervisor who has been in their shoes and they view as genuine.
Being compassionate and transparent in the workplace has helped me build better relationships with my team. It has also helped my team create stronger professional bonds among themselves and with our patients and their families.
I believe by adding compassion and transparency into your workplace you will see positive results that will result in not only a stronger bottom line but a better place to work for all.