Three Components Of Caring

(p. 9). The ability to recognize, manage, and direct one’s own process of learning and change is a major component of sustaining resonant leadership (p. 9) and thus, is critical to renewal.

Compassion

Compassion is empathy and caring in action (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005). The three components of caring is: (a). Understanding of, and empathy for, others’ feelings and experiences (b). Caring for others (c). Willingness to act on those feelings of care and empathy (McKee, A., 2006, p. 4). Because leaders have influence over people, compassion is a necessity as it enables leaders to connect with others beyond the surface. Genuinely caring for others is for those on the giving and receiving ends. Similar to leadership, some people are “naturally”

compassionate and some have to develop the skill. Boyatzis & McKee (2005) suggest that leaders could develop compassion through coaching – engaging people in a process of development and growth. Their philosophy is that if leaders help others in that manner, they would naturally experience compassion; and it is through compassion, resonance in relationships are created.
Compassion is important to sustaining resonance in a leadership position because not only does it aid in dealing with the stress and sacrifices inherent in leadership (McKee, A. 2006), but it combats the loneliness that some leaders experience. According to a survey on CEOs conducted by the Harvard Business Review (2012), half of CEOs report experiencing feelings of loneliness in their role, and of that group, 61 percent believe it impedes their performance. The survey revealed that first-time CEOs are mainly subject to isolation. Nearly 70 percent of first-time CEOs who experience loneliness report that the feelings negatively affect their performance (Saporito, 2012).
Leaders in all domains as well as followers can be susceptible to loneliness; and this occur when individuals feel as though they are peerless. This is usually the result of leaders’ self-absorption and inability to be attuned to others (Hedges, 2012). If isolation negatively impacts one’s performance, then it will also negatively impact decision-making and organizational culture. This illustrates the importance of leading with compassion and how empathy sustains resonance.