Do you CARE?
How will you know, that others know, that you care?
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. - Anonymous.
Decades ago, I saw this quote in the waiting area of a life insurance office and I've been thinking about it on and off ever since.
Today I posed a question to myself:
"How do you know people forget?" Today I thought to myself, "How will I know, if people know, I care?"
Immediately the Mnemonic. C.A.R.E came to mind.
Compassion: in my experience, compassion is practicing active listening and being in an external "observation" state.
Active listening while observing is probably one of the most compassionate things we can do in almost any situation, and especially in a heated exchange with other people.
Attention: one of the biggest "tells" we have as human beings to transmit that we care is by placing our attention in the present moment upon the person we're in front of. It shows we have 100% engagement with the topic at hand.
Giving our attention transmits that we're ready to listen and that we care.
Respond: if the other person has begun to feel a sense of caring energy from us they will begin to respond in like manner.
The other important thing is if we've been leading with compassion and staying present, practicing active listening it is natural to have some sort of caring response — with non-verbal body language i.e. a nod of the head, a verbal cue “uh huh” etc.
These non-verbal and verbal cues while someone else is talking shows that we've been listening and transits attentiveness response.
Effort: caring requires effort. If we've got this far in the CARE acronym, then we need to put in the effort to be of assistance in some form, some strategy, some way that we can provide tangible support to the other person.
We can offer advice, feedback, suggestions or strategies.
Caring in Business: I decided to investigate the psychology of "caring" and whether it had been studied. I was surprised to learn the results and the impact of this on business.
Caring plays a significant role in business, contributing to improved work performance, employee well-being, and organizational success. Here's a summary of the key aspects of caring in business:
Enhanced Work Performance
A caring workplace has significant benefits to the workplace, employers and employees.
Did you know that a caring management team can be a legitimate competitive advantage and will help resolve issues of low motivation and encourage employee retention?
Productivity Boost: Dr. David Paul's research found that feelings of being cared for correlated with up to a 10-fold increase in employee productivity[1].
Motivational Factor: "Regard," which is closely related to caring, was identified as the top motivational factor for over 40% of individuals and groups[1].
Competitive Advantage: Companies like Ernst & Young LLP and Patagonia view care as a competitive advantage, helping to solve issues like retention and low motivation[2].
Employee Well-being and Engagement
Workplace cultures are evolving. You can transform your workplace by implementing a wellbeing and compassionate corporate culture.
Mental Health: Caring leadership and workplace environments are associated with improved mental well-being among employees[3].
Work-Life Balance: Benevolent leadership styles, which incorporate caring, positively affect work-family facilitation and marital family satisfaction[3].
Stress Reduction: Compassionate cultures and leadership styles can help reduce work-related stress and burnout[3].
Leadership Effectiveness
To the degree that you practice self-care and grow your self-awareness directly impacts your ability to meet the needs of your staff and employees and it enhances your ability to be an effective leader. Studies show you may be more motivated to show the staff that you care, which creates consistency.
Leadership Development: Self-care in leaders is linked to improved ability to care for staff, suggesting that caring for oneself enhances one's capacity to lead effectively[4].
Resource Management: Leaders who practice self-care are better equipped to manage demands, reduce stress, and create resources for others[4].
Authentic Leadership: Self-caring leaders may be more motivated to show staff care, creating consistency between their values and behaviors[4].
Organizational Culture
What if by adopting compassion we could radically change the organizational culture in business? Would it be something you would explore, and are would you be committed to it?
Compassionate Cultures: Developing and sustaining compassionate cultures is essential for transforming workplaces to promote human happiness and well-being[3].
Inclusion and Collective Leadership: Compassion in the workplace implies inclusion and shared power, encouraging collective leadership[3].
Shared Purpose: Caring promotes a climate of shared purpose, prioritizing high-quality outcomes for the organization, those served, and employees[3].
Business Ethics
Your personal business values and ethics are interlinked and influence every business decision you make. Therefore, paying attention to your values and your ethics can make you more competitive when looking for new employees and in the marketplace.
Ethical Framework: Care is increasingly recognized as an important value that should inform management practices and business ethics[2].
Addressing Challenges: Care in business is seen as a potential solution to large-scale problems like economic collapse, income inequality, and environmental degradation[2].
In conclusion, caring in business goes beyond mere empathy or kindness. It's a multifaceted approach that, when integrated into leadership styles, organizational cultures, and business practices, can lead to significant improvements in employee performance, well-being, and overall organizational success. As businesses face complex challenges in the modern world, incorporating care as a core value and practice may provide a competitive edge while also contributing to a more ethical and sustainable business environment.
Sources
[1] Caring for Others Boosts Work Performance and Beyond - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140310145258-16759399-caring-for-others-boosts-work-performance-and-beyond
[2] Care in Management: A Review and Justification of an ... https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/business-ethics-quarterly/article/care-in-management-a-review-and-justification-of-an-organizational-value/77D0EF55143FDD1BC1FF2EA59AD8C1DE
[3] Editorial: Compassion and compassionate leadership in the workplace https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9784919/
[4] Does Self-Care Make You a Better Leader? A Multisource Study ... https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9180678/
Research via Perplexity.
This post is created by me, excluding the excerpts I've taken from Perplexity (which includes citations so you can check the quality yourself). Primarily, my writing is courtesy of Wispr Flow, the only true productive, useful, and accurate voice-to-text transcription platform. ;-)