Compassionate Leadership - the session in outline

The response of the NHS and the general public to Covid-19 has demonstrated that we have not lost the capacity for compassion as a society.  On the other hand, it has exposed the outworking of a lack of societal compassion over a prolongued period, its economic impact being felt most acutely by a precariat of temporary workers on low-wage zero-hour or temporary contracts, with little prospect of acquiring skills and no collective voice in the labour market.

Before the crisis, Compassionate Leadership was already emerging as an 'on-trend' topic: leaders are seeking a new paradigm to support individual and team fulfilment, and retain and motivate colleagues in this fast moving tech-enabled workplace.

Over 100 NHS trusts have engaged with the Compassionate Leadership model developed by Professor Michael West and others, and Google spun off the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute in 2012 to promote a more mindful and emotionally intelligent approach to leadership.

In this 90 minute network event, Chris Whitehead will consider the different facets of Compassionate Leadership and position the session for participants.  He will look briefly at the business case for Compassionate Leadership and some foundational psychology before moving on to examine a number of pivotal concepts in depth.

Along the way there will be a series of mini breakout sessions in which we'll be inviting you to discuss:

• To what extent can individuals be held responsible for their performance?
• Is it possible to create a compassionate sub culture within a system under pressure?
• Do we need to take a more expansive view of what constitutes a learning opportunity?

There will be lots of pointers to key publications on the subject and we'll conclude with a meta model of Compassionate Leadership that you can integrate into your own practice as a coach.

About Chris Whitehead

Originally from Eastwood in Rotherham, Chris' corporate career has taken in design engineering, academia, contacting, project investment, programme management and sustainability.

He has held management positions and directorships in several successful multi-national businesses and three SMEs.  At present Chris runs a Sheffield-based coaching network 'Damflask Consulting' and hosts the podcast 'The Compassionate Leadership Interview' which has recently featured Hugh Facey OBE Chairman of Gripple, Tony Stacey CEO of South Yorkshire Housing Association and Dame Julia Unwin.

Chris is the author of 'Compassionate Leadership' which is available on both Amazon and Kindle, and has recently developed a Compassionate Leadership app which is available and downloadable from www.compassionate-leadership.co.uk

Chris has a first-class honours degree from Trinity College Cambridge and an MBA from the University of Sheffield.  He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring from Sheffield Hallam University and is accredited by the EMCC as a Senior Practitioner. 

In his spare time, Chris can be found looking after his grandson with his wife Judi, in a yoga studio, rowing with the City of Sheffield Rowing Club, or walking the hills of the Peak District National Park.