So what’s the connection to business? For you to succeed in your role, to be a difference maker to your colleagues and to your clients, you have to believe. Yes, you must have a baseline of technical skill and proficiency that’s laid down through years of education and training, but for the next presentation, for this sales pitch, for this budget defense, put in the work and then believe in yourself and the capabilities of your team. Have their backs so they have yours. Timidity and self-doubt at both the individual and team levels represent the fast-pass to mediocrity and disappointment.

I fear that we are becoming anesthetized to what would be considered vicious, uncivil, unacceptable, and unproductive discourse to a prudent, independent observer.

I propose that when we teach and coach the human skill of integrity, we must also add the words empathy, compassion, and understanding. As a result, the definition of integrity can be simplified to: Integrity: Compassionately doing the right thing.

My goal with this muse is to gently, but purposefully change the arc of the conversation in corporate circles around the concept of empathy and empathetic leadership. In my opinion, empathy is great, but it lacks two essential ingredients—the willingness/ability to help, and the ability to detach. Compassion represents a logical extension of empathy as it combines the ability to recognize someone else’s feelings and the motivation to help them do something about it. This addition of the motivation to help requires an ability to separate or detach oneself from the challenge the other person is experiencing. Without this ability to mentally detach, their challenge or pain becomes yours and carrying around that emotional burden will ultimately lead to your own exhaustion and burnout. Yes, it’s awesome that you feel another’s pain and want to help alleviate it, but if it’s at the expense of your own well-being, what’s the point?

Far too many of us look at the prospect of our fleeting, mortal lives with dread. We fill our lives with busy and hurry—seldom, if ever, stopping to check in with ourselves and ensure we’re living out the promise of our purpose. One of my goals with the Saturday Morning Muse is to help drive a shift in perspective—from the negative to the positive—from “I have to,” to “I get to.” If you want to be an effective, compassionate leader in life and in business, start engaging in your own mindfulness practice. What do you want to be known for? Up to this moment, have you done the best that you could?

First and foremost, great teachers are great listeners. They are keen observers of the world around them. Yes, they love to lecture and impart information and counsel, but one of the most important aspects of teaching is listening to the diverse needs of students to gain an understanding of where the student is, so they can be met where they’re at. A great teacher knows when to talk and when to shut up, observe, and listen.