Our drive to develop and prioritise compassion in the workplace was born out of the impact of the pandemic and the wellbeing of our health and care workforce along with national and local drives across the NHS and Social Care to develop compassionate leadership and practices in the workplace, writes Mark Ambrose MBACP (Accred), Assoc CIPD, MAC, Kirklees Place Workforce Lead, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. Kirklees Health and Care Partnership, West Yorkshire England.
Back then I decided to build the approach and start with leadership. I was very fortunate that our Compassionate Leadership Programme was endorsed by Professor Michael West CBE. The programme delivered over two months incorporates three units plus additional learning outside the programme including learning and implantation planning. The programme consisted of self-compassion, leadership and team compassion, and Compassionate Organisations and Innovation. The programme was launched at our first compassionate Cultures Conference in September 2022. And a subsequent one the following year. Each conference proved to be very successful and incorporated areas such as equality, diversity and inclusion, staff wellbeing, compassion and the Menopause to mention a few areas. Our Conference this year falls on 18th June.
The positive impact of our conferences is shown by the quotes from delegates:
- “I will take this learning into my management practice starting tomorrow.”
- “It reminded me why compassion is not optional – it’s foundational.”
- “The creativity and kindness in the room were contagious – I feel inspired to take this back to my team.”
- “I’ve already shared the resources with my colleagues and started a wellbeing conversation in our department.”
- “This wasn’t just a conference – it was a moment of healing and hope.”
- “I finally feel seen and heard as a leader navigating emotionally complex challenges.”
Following the delivery of our programme I have seen cathartic changes in managers and leaders both personally and operationally, which is wonderful to see! Also, common themes are always present as are individual challenges. We use a combination of theoretical knowledge, skills development, and leadership plans. In this I really wanted our mangers coming on the programme to experience compassion first hand by being genuinely compassionate and model compassion in action.
The positive impact of our programme is shown by the quotes from delegates:
- “Before this course, I was feeling extremely overwhelmed… this course taught me about being kind to myself and engage in self-compassion.”
- “This shouldn’t just be for managers – everyone should have access to this type of space.”
- “Excellent course, very pleased we’ll stay in touch via our buddy groups and the network.” “Before this course I was feeling extremely overwhelmed in my role and had submitted my resignation, however this course helped me implement a healthy work/life balance and I have retracted my resignation.”
- “My team has started to believe I’m courageous because I’ve changed how I respond to challenges.”
- “I now feel able to bring my whole self to leadership, not just the ‘manager’ part.”
- “Compassionate leadership is not a task, but a way of being.”
Presently our wider strategic approach includes other significant programmes, an integrated workforce and strategic plan, and framework. We have now created a Kirklees & Calderdale Compassionate Cultures Framework, a virtual Compassionate Cultures Practice Centre, and created ambassador roles to support the embedding of the approach. We are now in discussions with other partners from neighbouring cities who are looking to take forward a compassionate cultures approach in 2025.
In health and social care, we all work in the shadow of challenge, and we live in a VUCA world, (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity). But compassion abounds when we look for it doesn’t it? But we can become desensitised to the suffering and stressors around us sometimes as we experience trauma from around the world, this has become commonplace. Upon reflection and if honest I can say that I can at times switch off compassion including self-compassion and drop back into working with the same level of intensely. This phenomenon can pull us back to operate as we once did. So, I implore you to keep checking out your self-compassion and your compassionate practice regularly. I believe that our staff can thrive if attentive listening, empathy, inclusivity, action, congruence, presence, innovation, appreciation, and genuineness are present which all help to build the canopy of compassion.
So, in reflection what made the difference for us was having strong partnerships across our system. We had a genuine desire to make the difference, learn from mistakes and learn from others. We looked to weave compassion into all we did and keep a renewed commitment. I had very good support from our senior leaders, my manger, and from excellent coordinator and trainer Michelle. I end with one of our delegates quotes: “Compassionate leadership is not a task, but a way of being”.
