Compassionate Leadership

Compassionate leadership is important in every organization. A compassionate leader listens, learns, and values every employee. They remove barriers and encourage positivity, which benefits both the organization and the people they serve. In a school health program, a compassionate leader creates a safe space for students to discuss their challenges, leading to progress and support for their families as well. We need compassionate leaders to help us achieve our full potential. Good evening, and welcome to a discussion on Compassionate Leadership Beyond Patient Care. My name is Elizabeth Nekoloff, and I will be your host for the evening. I am a licensed professional clinical counselor in Cleveland, Ohio, and work within a school health program that provides integrated care to students in two local school districts. I want you to take a moment and ask yourself, in your current environment, do you believe you are receiving compassionate leadership from those above you? If you take a moment and think about it, are your leaders one that are listening to you? Are they learning from you? Are they asking you questions about what it's like to be in the position that you currently hold within the organization? A compassionate leader should be one that takes the time to establish values that incorporates every position within that organization or even smaller, within that division of that organization. They should be encouraging and look towards removing barriers that hinder employees from doing the best that they can do. A compassionate leader has the difficult task of staying positive and encouraging even in the toughest of times. A compassionate leader does this in a way that will allow you as the employee to feel valued and to feel appreciated. When an employee feels valued and appreciated, everyone wins. The organization wins, and the patients that we come into contact with. If I reflect upon my current position as a counselor in a school health program, I believe it is very important to have a compassionate leader that allows me to voice my opinion and to make decisions in the best interest of the students that I serve. When you think about mental health and you think about students, it is often a very challenging time and students often do not discuss what they are feeling or what they are going through. A compassionate leader will help lay a foundation for these students to feel safe and secure in order to discuss the most difficult things. This impact will not only be felt by those students, but also by those students' families as they will be able to see the progress these students are making in order to address their biggest challenges. This may also lead to the possibility that some of those family members will come forward and also address some challenges that they may be facing as they are aware that the school health program and other programs like this are out there to help individuals achieve their full potential. This can be only done with a compassionate leader behind us and in front of us and beside us. Thanks for joining me this evening. Have a great night.