About this episode

Ruth Kearns Wollmann discusses the importance of calm and compassion in leadership and how they work together to support healthy teams.

In this episode, Ruth picks up the thread from Episode 1 with a closer look at two of the 6Cs — Calm and Compassion — and why they only really work together. She opens with a story from leading an organisation through uncertainty which became a turning point in how she thinks about what calm leadership actually requires. She unpacks what calm really means — not the absence of emotion, but emotion sufficiently processed that a leader can be present for others. Unfortunately, not all of us grew up in environments that modelled healthy emotion regulation. In fact, only 35% of Americans say that, as children, they knew a compassionate, nonjudgmental adult. The good news, however, is that this can be learned — and learning it starts with understanding calm's essential partner: compassion. Ruth draws a clear line between compassion and empathy, and explains why calm without compassion can land as cold or judgemental — especially to someone who isn't expecting it. The episode closes with a practical pathway: how the 6Cs offer a sequence for navigating strong emotions in the moment — calm, compassion, curiosity, clarity, connection and courage — so that leaders can hold space for others…

People in this episode

Host: Ruth Kearns Wollmann

Topics covered

• leadership
• calm
• compassion
• emotional regulation
• 6Cs

Keywords

• leadership
• calm
• compassion
• emotional regulation
• 6Cs
• healthy teams
• empathy

Mentioned in this episode

Places: America

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