Video discussion on compassion and care in leadership with Anni Townend and Elif Köse

Anni is interviewed by Elif Köse for the Confidence Leads to Success interview series

Supporting and empowering women in business is something I am particularly passionate about and so I was honoured to recently speak at the Confidence Leads to Success online event series.

The event, hosted by the amazing Elif Köse, featured some 21 women who were interviewed about their leadership experiences and to share their tips and strategies for success. 

I was delighted to discuss with Elif how senior leaders and their teams can foster cultures of care, connection and collaboration. Something that underpins the Connected Culture Change collaborative leadership framework and is important now more than ever as we navigate the changing world of work.

You can watch the video interview below or continue reading for all the key discussion points and takeaways.

Key discussion points and takeaways 

We discuss the ways that leaders can be more confident, courageous and compassionate so that everyone is enabled to be their confident best. Central to that are the following key principles:

Nurture confidence: self-belief and the belief of others in you (and vice versa)

Firstly, identify your values, what you really care about, what you stand for and think about what that means for how you behave everyday. I recommend having a ‘To Be’ list as well as a ‘To Do’ list and sense checking who you are ‘being’ at the end of the day.  Be clear on the difference you want to make through what you do, what you are leading for, your passion and purposes.

You should also identify your super-strength - something that you are known for and are good at.  This correlates to thinking about what you are proud of having accomplished and achieved. Asking people, ‘tell me about what it is you’re really proud of?’ especially in the past year, really helps to boost that self confidence and commitment to self and each other.

Elif also reveals how women are often embarrassed to talk about their achievements and encourages women to step back and look at themselves as an outside observer in order to better recognise their achievements.

Build the confidence of your team by helping others to be their best

The principles of nurturing self confidence extend to teams. Start by asking teams what do we stand for and what are we leading for as a team? What is the difference we want to make as a team? 

It is important to create a safe environment, where people feel empowered to discuss what they care about, their values, what their passions and purpose are, what helps them be their best and how you can help them.

It is important to always appreciate people for their contribution, both their everyday contribution as well as standout successes, so that they feel valued for all efforts.

Stay curious and ask big questions

Key to creating more open teams and open cultures is staying curious about teamwork, each other and ourselves, and all that we have accomplished. 

I encourage leaders and teams to be really interested, to ask questions, to find out more, to want to know each other . It is all about creating that safe environment in which everybody feels seen, heard and understood.

Together we can create environments with diversity of thought and inclusive dialogue, which stems from curiosity and compassion.  That is my hope and my mission.

Encourage others through being courageous

Courage thrives on the encouragement of others. For me that can be sharing how I really am. Being personal and asking for help when I need it shows strength and courage in vulnerability. 

Encouraging people to share what they care about also allows people to better understand each other, their back stories, why they are the way they are and what really matters to them and why.

Practice compassion and empathy, always

“If you have a compassionate mindset and an empathetic way of approaching people, you will always end up on a positive note.” Elif Köse

This is two-fold and involves self-compassion or being kind to yourself, which sometimes means saying no, as well as being kind to others and caring about others.

Being kind and being direct are two important things we need to bring to our everyday lives, both in how we show up and how we are with each other. We know that we can do so much more through collaborating and having empathy and compassion in our relationships is critical to our combined success. 

This is something Elif strongly agrees with. “If you have a compassionate mindset and an empathetic way of approaching people, you will always end up on a positive note. You are looking from an understanding point rather than a judgemental point. I have always lived like this, perhaps because I was not understood,” she comments.

It is worth noting that empathy is a particularly useful tool when dealing with conflict of interest - understanding each other more.

Collaborating and networking in the new post pandemic world

“The Pandemic has provided an opportunity to connect with more women around the world and share experiences and inspiration,” -Elif Kose

What I have loved and enjoyed throughout the transition to remote working, is the opportunity to make sure people globally have been part of team conversations. I feel fortunate to work as a leadership coach with teams virtually.

As we move forward and start to come together again at a physical location, the needs of teams will change. The location will matter, why we come together will matter and the types of conversations we have together will matter even more.

Creating that safe environment where people can be their best selves, be confident and courageous, caring and kind, will be more important than ever as we go forward.

I hope some of these talking points can help you to create cultures of care, connection and collaboration as we navigate the hybrid working world.

About Elif Köse

Elif Köse is a business coach and entrepreneur who is on a mission to inspire women to be their best. To find out more visit her dedicated Linktree account linktr.ee/elifkoseofficial where you will find links to all of the interviews as well as information about upcoming events and how to join the community.

Make it the year of care, connection and collaboration

Connected Culture Change is a collaborative leadership framework developed by Anni Townend and Lucy kidd, designed o help organisations foster cultures of care, connection and collaboration. Find out more or contact me to collaborate.