“Compassion alone stands apart from the continuous traffic between good and evil proceeding within us.”
Eric Hoffer, American philosopher and social critic
In writing this article, I was struck by how many constructive words start with the letter C! While I am most consumed by the concepts and correct construction of workplace culture (because hello, this is what LifeWork Systems does!), I also care about the following collection of caring C-words too, although I choose greatest common cause with COMPASSION, the theme of this article.
The list of curative C words is comprehensive. Some of my favorites consist of the following, although NOT at all a complete, list: collaboration, camaraderie, cooperation, consideration, creativity, courage, candor, catalyst, cool, curiosity, cutting-edge, chivalrous, civility, chuckling, circumspect, clear-headed, closeness, cleverness, co-creating, coachable, critical thinking, colorful, comforting, confident, comical, committed, communicative, contrite, compelling, competent, complementary, confidant, congratulatory, conscientious, conscious, and connected…
Why does COMPASSION stand out as the most vital? The roots of compassion are com; meaning with, and passion; meaning emotions, feelings, heart. What could be more important than being present with oneself and another when in their passion; their deepest feelings? We are social beings with a drive to feel belonging and significance. Without compassion, we feel neither, which then robs us of feeling empowered (influential; having a voice), lovable (seen and heard), connected (welcomed warmly into the community) or contributing (having and offering value and filling gaps). We are conditioned to think it’s our rugged individualism, winning over others at zero-sum games, and our material wealth that will bring us our greatest meaning and fulfillment. If that were true, we would not have so many smart, attractive, wealthy, accomplished, and famous people who struggle internally and with others, even causing some a premature end to their lives.
I remember an episode of Twilight Zone when a man dies and is transported to a place with pearly gates and a smiling group of people who proceed to fulfill his every daily wish for wealth, fame, and fortune. By the end of the week, he feels restless and bored and says, “I thought Heaven would be more fun!” To which one of the people responded, “Who said this is Heaven?” This story is a profound way to understand there is more to life than getting. At least one thing far superior and meaningful is COMPASSION.
Compassion requires social interest; a combination of curiosity, empathy, and presence. Social interest is when we consciously consider what we cause others. Compassion is a socially interested commitment to let people know we are there for them; willing to be with them. Compassion sits with them in their feelings no matter what kind and duration, so both the giver and receiver experience a deep sense of belonging and significance. To paraphrase Eric Hoffer above, compassion transcends any tendency in us to traffic between good and evil. Compassion refuses to abandon or punish the other. In this way, our very presence is a choice to love the other, stretching the capacity within us to love ourselves unconditionally, without penalty for our faults.
In our workplaces, such compassion goes a long way to an enlightened bottom line. Afterall, shame, pain, suffering and trauma (large and small) do not leave people upon entering the building or the working relationships. Compassion is as simple as pausing to notice others and give a reassuring smile, nod or offer of support. Compassion is asking another to lunch, being receptive and accepting. Compassion is learning new skills to understand the discouragement under all negative behavior to transform it and limiting beliefs inside by believing in the goodness of self or others when they don’t remember or believe it. Compassion is caring enough to refuse to gossip, take advantage, or diminish anyone, in any way. Compassion is kin to empathy and it spurs joy, creativity and productivity. Compassion is profitable for your business and it is as practical as any other element needed for a high performing workforce. So, conquer all career challenges with COMPASSION.
This article is published in the column The Extraordinary Workplace in St. Louis Small Business Monthly, April, 2025
