Join Healthcare Experience Foundation President Katie Owens for a special episode of the Healthcare Experience Matters Podcast this week, where she previews the upcoming event, “Certificate in Foundations of Compassionate Leadership,” and offers an in-depth exploration of what it means to become a compassionate leader in today’s healthcare environment.

Our previous event was a resounding success, with over 100 professionals from 21 healthcare organizations coming together to deepen their understanding and practice of compassion in both their personal and professional lives. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we are thrilled to announce that this program will continue to grow and thrive in 2023.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to become a certified compassionate leader! Mark your calendars for May 11 & 12, 2023, and join us for our highly anticipated fourth cohort of the Certificate in Foundations of Compassionate Leadership. This virtual event will be unlike any other, with two full days of immersive learning and networking from 9am-1pm EST.

Register now to secure your spot and join a community of compassionate leaders committed to making a positive impact on the world. Learn more about this life-changing event by clicking here. We can’t wait to see you there!

About Today’s Podcast

Compassion is crucial to effective healthcare leadership. Compassion creates a positive work environment, fosters trust, and supports staff well-being. However, being a compassionate leader in today’s healthcare environment can be challenging due to various factors.

Self-compassion is at the foundation of compassionate leadership. You simply cannot have one without the other.

Katie defines self-compassion as, “extending the same kindness, compassion and empathy towards ourselves that we would offer to a friend who might be struggling or experiencing a personal shortcoming or disappointment.”

Katie goes on to explain that self-criticism can be ingrained in societal messages that prioritize perfection and fear of failure, which makes practicing self-compassion even more challenging.

As we’ve covered on this podcast before, empathetic distress is also a real issue in today’s healthcare institutions.

Developing and maintaining a strong sense of compassion can be tricky in this modern healthcare environment. It is highly stressful, with long working hours, demanding schedules, and high levels of responsibility. Additionally, healthcare leaders must manage multiple stakeholders, including patients, staff, and administrators, each with unique needs and expectations.

Compassionate leaders create a culture of trust, respect, and collaboration, which promotes open communication and teamwork among staff. This can improve patient safety, quality of care, and patient satisfaction.

Compassionate leadership supports staff well-being by creating a positive work environment which fosters job satisfaction, engagement, and retention. Compassionate leaders show appreciation for their staff’s efforts, provide emotional support, and promote work-life balance. This can help reduce stress and burnout, leading to better staff health and well-being.

Compassionate leaders are empathetic and understanding, listening to the concerns and needs of their staff and patients. They are willing to take risks, try new approaches, and learn from failures, creating a culture of continuous improvement and growth.

As discussed in our podcast previously, psychological safety is also a key component of healthy workplaces and compassionate environments.

Compassionate leadership is crucial to creating a positive work environment and fostering collaboration and trust among staff. It requires a combination of empathy, self-awareness, and strong communication skills to lead with compassion and create positive change in healthcare.

More Compassionate Resources

• Moving Forward to Nurture Workforce Resilience in Crisis [pdf]
• Certificate in Foundations of Compassionate Leadership Flyer [pdf]

Testimonials from Past Compassionate Leadership Attendees

“I gained the perspective I need to reengage as a leader.”

“The great discussions in breakout rooms made me realize how much desire there is among my colleagues to create compassionate organizations.”

“My big take aways are the tools to improve on things I am already doing as a compassionate leader.”

“So many great ideas to think about compassion as a leader; practical things to do daily for myself and for my team.”

Posted in:

Compassion & Empathy, Leadership