Triggering Compassion: The Leadership Hack You Didn’t See Coming

People in many walks of life have psyche up songs or routines to help them before big moments.

Swimmers walk out to the starting blocks listening to something rhythmic to help them find that all important smoothness of action as they power through the water. 

Boxers have walk on music to help pump themselves up or psyche out their opponent.  

I recall listening to a particularly aggressive song by Faith No More before playing rugby in my youth.

All of these things trigger adrenaline for explosive power. But are sports analogies or techniques useful outside of this realm?

Once I wanted to win by beating others. I saw a zero-sum game where there could only be one winner. Sport taught me that over and over. But I’m not as dumb now as a I was then. Not quite. 

These days I’m not trying to beat anyone else to a pulp. I know my greatest opponent is myself. And the way to win is not by fighting but by harnessing both my skills and the skills of others.  

When you realise that, you also realise that life isn’t a zero sum game. There can be many winners. So it makes sense to help others because the pie is much bigger when you leave the win-lose mentality behind. It’s not just a bigger pie, it’s a multiple-pie game!

Now, before having the bigger conversations as a leader, I like to prime the pump to be able to connect with more helpful emotions and tune into my values. Cortisol and adrenaline are lizard brain activating hormones. But I need my big-ass neocortex brain for most of my leadership work. 

As a human, I have better days than others at switching on the most helpful bits of my brain and being this version of me. Yesterday I wrote a blog about vet life lessons. It wasn’t meant to lead to me writing this blog today, but the universe joins dots in odd ways. 

I read the vet life lessons blog out to my partner and she said I should narrate it to “that song where some guy reads out life lessons like a commencement address”. She meant Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by the wonderful Baz Lurhmann.

And so today, before I started on my work, I listened to that song. Aside for having me in tears (every time), it’s such a good reminder to be the best you are capable of each day. 

I’m resolved to be that leader today, the person who I want to be, rather than who the world thinks I should be. 

To bring curiosity and compassion in as much as possible. Whether that compassion is needed for me or for someone else. 

I like that me a lot more. I suspect others do too. Have a great day.

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