Why every organization needs a Chief of Compassion
Our very first Chief of Compassion, Amanda!
When I talk about my team, I’m often asked about our roles. There are five of us: I’m our Chief of Vision, Monique is our Chief of Growth, Cheyenne is our Chief of Operations, Rachel is our Chief of Content, and Amanda is our Chief of Compassion.
I’d like to focus on Amanda’s role, Chief of Compassion, because I think this kind of role could lead to a lot of positive change in the culture of organizations, especially in the midst of the Great Resignation.
So what is a Chief of Compassion, anyway, and what kind of impact does Amanda’s role have on our company?
In a nutshell, the Chief of Compassion oversees the processes and systems that allow us to bring our compassionate culture to life. Amanda helps make sure that each person on the team feels valued and supported and that they can show up at their best at work every day.
To be clear, Amanda is not the only one responsible for upholding our caring, compassionate culture. We have committed to having this kind of culture as a team, and we all hold each other accountable to that. But because our culture of care is a commitment and a priority, it’s important to us to have someone’s role focused on it. In any other area of the business, we would do that, so why not here?
Here are the biggest ways Amanda’s role contributes to our team and to our culture:
She holds us accountable to taking time off. We have unlimited PTO in our company, but that doesn’t mean we’re always good about taking it. Amanda helps keep track of how often each of us takes breaks from work, and if she thinks one of us is due for a breather, she suggests it. She especially helps me in this area.
She learns what matters most to each of us and how we best receive recognition and appreciation. When Amanda first started in her role, she interviewed each of us about our specific likes, dislikes, Appreciation Languages, “bucket lists,” and perspectives on what we value and want most in our lives. From those answers, she created individual profiles to reference when birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions come around. In her words: “The profiles are important because it’s not always the thought that counts! How many times have you gotten a gift and been like, ‘Gee . . . thanks!’ but you know, deep down, that you’ll never use the gift at all because the giver didn’t put any thought into it. I want to make our team feel special in the ways that they appreciate it most.”
She helps us celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. On our team, birthdays and work anniversaries are a big deal. Such a big deal, in fact, that we have an entire budget category dedicated to them. This is where the team profiles come in: The profiles help Amanda come up with gifts and experiences that are tailored to fit that person’s preferences, which makes it more likely that the gifts will be truly appreciated and make the person feel valued, seen, and understood. If this weren’t part of someone's specific role, we might not be as intentional or proactive about it, and the result would not be as heartfelt as it could be. Amanda isn't the only one involved in planning for special occasions—she works heavily with me on these—but she's the one who sparks conversations and keeps things moving. It’s her responsibility to make sure we're celebrating people the best we can. Here’s a recent example: To celebrate Cheyenne’s upcoming five-year work anniversary, Amanda suggested that we help Cheyenne check off a big bucket list item: a trip to Bali, where she will go on a silent retreat. This was something Cheyenne had mentioned in her meeting with Amanda, and Amanda saw an opportunity for us to support that dream. Not only did we surprise Cheyenne by helping make the trip possible, but Amanda also encouraged Cheyenne to take the trip this year because it’s something she really wants to do. She’s going in September!
She honors everyday moments. In the past, we celebrated birthdays and anniversaries but often overlooked the small, everyday moments. Amanda has a “surprise and delight” budget that she uses to support the team in ways that are meaningful to them and to celebrate moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. That can look like sending someone hot soup when they’re sick, sending our team care packages the week of a big event (like our Human Leadership Program), inviting someone to a virtual coffee to check-in to see how they’re doing at work and in life, curating a self-care day for someone, or mailing someone a handmade card (Amanda’s specialty) when they’re having a rough time.
She looks for signs that we are overextended. In team meetings, Amanda listens for cues that the team is approaching burnout. For example, when talking about an upcoming deadline, one of us might say, “I’m going to try to get this done, but I also need to do X, Y, and Z before then.” Amanda might chime in and say, “Hey, it sounds like you might need some help.” From there, we can work as a team to take some tasks off that person’s plate or reprioritize so that they have more time and mental bandwidth to focus. Again, Amanda isn’t the only one who might speak up about this, but it’s specifically part of her role to listen and look for these cues.
She helps us feel more connected as a remote team. Amanda’s role is crucial to maintaining our caring culture as a remote team. As leaders look to the future and navigate hybrid or all-remote work environments, we need to make sure that people still feel connected despite virtual barriers. Amanda has coordinated virtual events to help us to continue to build relationships, such as Team Time, where we get together and answer questions that help us get to know one another even better. She also plans celebrations to help us soak in team milestones. Last December, when we reached a big financial goal, she sent us the ingredients to make our own cocktails/mocktails, and we ended a meeting by doing a virtual “cheers” together.
She helps us integrate work and life. Amanda’s role is also to support us in our lives outside of work. Sometimes, personal things pile up when we get busy at work, and it can lead to us feeling overwhelmed. Amanda helps us tackle these things so that we can achieve better work/life harmony. This can look like helping us with meal planning during busy weeks, coordinating personal and work calendars and schedules, and checking things off our personal to-do lists. Amanda helps me in this area the most, and it’s totally changed the way I show up at work and at home.
Now, you might be thinking . . . Who makes sure Amanda is taken care of? All of us! The rest of the team works together to make sure Amanda feels just as special and taken care of as she makes us feel.
Maybe you don't have the ability to hire a Chief of Compassion for your team. May I offer this: Can't we all be Chiefs of Compassion in our own way? Each of us can do something every day to bring caring cultures to life, from listening with empathy to recognizing someone on their special day. My challenge to you is to be the Chief of Compassion you want to see!
Big hugs,
Kristen
P.S. We’re off next week for Break Week! See you back here in July!
P.P.S. Looking for a way to invest in yourself in 2022?! We’d love to invite you to join our monthly coaching group. You can find all the deets here!
P.P.P.S. Have you heard about our R&R Retreat happening on July 20th from 11am-4pm ET? Join us on Zoom, get away from the day-to-day, reflect, and recenter! You can get your ticket here!
