Why Do Entrepreneurs Need to Be Compassionate and Kind?

By Guest Contributor Neil Francis
Author of The Entrepreneur’s Book, Neil Francis, shares why entrepreneurs need to show compassion and kindness and gives tips on how to do it.

‘’I have made important decisions about people I work with based largely on how they treat wait staff in restaurants. I don’t care if you’re the most powerful cat in the room, I will judge you on how you treat the least powerful.’’ Tim Minchin

Why as an entrepreneur you should show kindness?

I want to introduce you to a social enterprise that is having a massive impact on many people’s lives across the UK: Sporting Memories. Having worked with thousands of individuals to date, the enterprise’s main purpose is to help people tackle dementia, depression and loneliness through sporting memories. Sporting Memories does this by establishing and running free sporting memories groups for people over the age of 50 across the UK.

By encouraging people to share memories of sporting moments and tap into a passion for sport, Sporting Memories helps people to connect not only with others but also with their own past, reawakening positive thoughts and feelings that otherwise might remain hidden away. It has been found that these groups have a positive impact on those struggling with dementia, depression and loneliness by increasing their confidence, wellbeing and happiness.

Having mentored Chris Wilkins, one of the co-founders of Sporting Memories, I know him well. Even though I no longer mentor him, we still meet up every now and then for a beer and a catch-up. When we met up last, I was delighted to hear that the business was going from strength to strength. I told Chris that I was delighted for him and the team – I know how much effort and time he has dedicated to the business since he cofounded it in 2011.

He then said something that I thought was fascinating: “Yes, a lot of blood, sweat and tears have been shed over the years, but I now think that we are starting to make a big impact on many people’s lives. There have been several times that I felt like walking away, but we made it work.”

This intrigued me, and I asked why he hadn’t started something else instead.

Chris explained that he had cofounded Sporting Memories because he wanted to combine his passion for sport with helping older people who were isolated and struggling with dementia or depression, or who were simply lonely. He said, “Once you start to help people and you see what a difference it makes to their lives, you can’t walk away and let them down.”

What Chris was talking about here was compassion. And that compassion and kindness extend to how he runs the business for his staff, volunteers, clients and suppliers – acting with compassion and kindness is one of their core values. This has led to a wonderful business that is thriving, growing and helping huge numbers of people.

Compassionate entrepreneurship

Chris is a fantastic entrepreneur. He has the passion, creativity, innovation, stamina and belief to have built, from scratch, a thriving business. But at the core of this business is compassion and kindness for others. Now, I know what you might be thinking – that Chris cofounded a business that is not a real business because it is a social enterprise and that his compassion comes from wanting to help others. So, it is easy for Chris to say that compassion and kindness are the core of what he does, but in the real business world achieving profits must come before anything else.

But is that true? In a ‘normal’ business, is showing and demonstrating compassion and kindness a ‘nice to have’ or is it essential for success? In my view, it is fundamental, regardless of what type of business you are running.

If you google “What makes a great entrepreneur?”, you will get roughly the same core traits from several respected websites – passion, creativity, strong work ethic, determination, proactivity, self-motivation, innovation and strong leadership qualities. But never compassion or kindness. These are words not normally associated with entrepreneurship; in fact, most entrepreneurs will probably think that the idea of compassion and kindness seems strange or may even be perceived as a weakness. That is because these ideas are synonymous with feelings, empathy, care and the softer side of being human. However, I think entrepreneurs should be actively working toward creating a culture of compassion and kindness that shows care both to themselves and to those they work with. Basically, compassionate entrepreneurship is treating people at work how you would like to be treated.

It makes sense for an entrepreneur to be compassionate as the benefits can be significant. Treat your staff fairly and with kindness, making sure they feel valued and respected, and they will be more likely to be open with you, share ideas and go that extra mile. A compassionate culture can improve trust as it allows staff to feel they can raise genuine concerns without fear of reprisal. This can make you a better entrepreneur, and customers who see you as a kind, empathetic and trusting person are more likely to work with you time and time again.

One further, and very important, point is to be compassionate and kind to yourself. You see, if you are kind to yourself, you are more likely to get the balance right between work and play. This could lead you to try to keep fit, eat more healthily and take part in activities you love more often and not focus on work all the time, and all of this can help to reduce the chances of burnout and stress.

Ideas on compassion

Here are a few ideas on how you can start being more compassionate and kind. Trust me, it will make you a better entrepreneur!

Always try to demonstrate a people-first approach, regardless of who you are dealing with – whether your staff, customers, suppliers or investors. This means being more transparent, honest and open with everyone.
Accept that it’s okay to make mistakes – in fact, entrepreneurs who are transparent and share their mistakes tend to be more approachable, relatable and human. Don’t beat yourself up when you make mistakes or make the wrong decisions.
Communicate with compassion, wherever possible, and never yell or make unrealistic demands. In every situation, try to communicate with everyone involved, as this encourages commitment and engagement.
Be driven and motivated by your beliefs, values and purpose and share those with everyone. If you do, then people will not question the motives behind your decisions – instead, they will know that you have considered others rather than focusing on yourself.
All of this might take courage. You will need to stick to your principles, act ethically and constantly evaluate the impact of your decisions on others. You cannot leave this behaviour to chance – you will need to be proactive in developing compassionate qualities.
Finally, as briefly mentioned above, you need to look after yourself, both mentally and physically, and encourage those you work with to do the same. Give yourself and your staff time during your busy, frantic day to either take part in some physical activity or simply meditate and relax for an hour. You will recoup the rewards in the long term.

For me, the proof in the pudding comes when I look back at all the roles I have undertaken, the companies I have worked for and even the people I have caddied for. It was the people who demonstrated real compassion and kindness toward me that I respected the most.

So, act compassionately as an entrepreneur and you will gain respect, loyalty and a sense of being valued – not a bad thing to gain at all!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Neil Francis is currently author of four books (published with LID): Positive Thinking, Inspired Thinking, The Creative Thinking Book and The Entrepreneur’s Book. He is also the co-founder of Pogo Studio, a digital web and app agency, and Pogo Digital Healthcare. Over the years, he has worked with hundreds of companies, from SMEs to global organizations, helping them to use digital technology effectively and creatively.

Why Do Entrepreneurs Need to Ne Compassionate and Kind? with Neil Francis

Why Do Entrepreneurs Need to Be Compassionate and Kind?

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