Article
07 September 2023, 3 min read

Envisioning a Wellbeing Economy through compassion

Compassionate leadership to transition to an economy prioritising dignity, joy and ecological wellbeing.

Stepping outside my comfort zone

A couple of weeks ago, I really enjoyed speaking at a conference organised by SHARE on compassionate leadership.

At first, I’ll admit I was a bit nervous at the prospect as it’s been a while since I spoke at a conference, but also because I wasn’t entirely confident about this topic!

But I had decided to accept the challenge, and I’m so glad I did!

Our changing world

I get upset and angry thinking of the millions living in poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness as a result of prioritising endless economic growth above all else. I hate injustice and unfairness. I decided that this was reason enough to speak up about something I care about so deeply, and how compassion can help us address these crises.

The current system is unequal and unfair, with the wealthiest 10% responsible for nearly half of emissions globally. This over-consumption is driving climate change, biodiversity loss, and other interconnected crises.

The need for compassionate leadership

To face up to and address these challenges, we need a different type of leadership – leadership that demonstrates empathy, emotional intelligence, ethics, service orientation, courage and above all, compassion.

This type of leadership focuses on human potential and creating conditions where all can thrive on a healthy planet.

My talk was to housing association leaders and proposed that they embrace leading with compassion to serve staff, tenants and communities in these turbulent times.

After all, social impact is in their DNA – providing safe, secure and affordable housing within strong communities is their purpose. What better way of delivering that than with compassion, particularly in these times that are so difficult for so many?

What does it mean to truly lead with compassion in turbulent times?

Envisioning a Wellbeing Economy

Visionary economists around the world are calling for a new economic model – a Wellbeing Economy – that puts human and ecological health at its heart.

In this model, business success is redefined from mere profit to also encompass social impact. Progress is measured not by GDP growth, but by people’s health, happiness and purpose. Resources are distributed fairly so all can live a good life.

I believe housing associations can meet this moment and support the creation of a Wellbeing Economy founded on care and justice.

The role of housing associations

Housing associations can play a big role in this change. They can help enable a good life for all by clearly articulating their social purpose, demonstrating contribution to tenant wellbeing, and bringing their team on the journey.

They can help meet fundamental human needs like dignity, belonging, security, health, connection and purpose – tenets of a Wellbeing Economy.

This is compassionate leadership in action!

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

Mahatma Gandhi

By embracing self-care, empathy, inclusion, and nature connection within their organisations, housing associations can ripple out this mindset shift into their communities by setting an example, with compassion.

Practical steps towards compassionate leadership

In my presentation I proposed practical steps such as using Jungian Archetypes to better understand employees’ motivations and needs to bring out their strengths.

Archetypes are human stories that provide a shortcut to understanding and a common language which help us make sense of our organisation’s place in the world and understand the connections with our own personal stories.

True compassion recognises our fundamental interconnectedness. Everything is connected to everything."

David Bower

At its heart, leading with compassion recognises our shared humanity and interdependence with the natural world. One that compels us to imagine – and create – a better future.

How you can amplify your impact through your business or organisation? How might you lead with more empathy, ethics, inclusion and care? What steps can you take to enable human flourishing and ecological wellbeing?

Let's work together to build an economy that serves people and planet.