Compassionate leadership in crisis


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This guide from Our NHS People is designed to help leaders and managers within the NHS to understand the importance of compassion and apply it to their role.


Pressure can sometimes make it feel hard to strike the right balance between directive and compassionate leadership. However, leading with compassion and empathy can help to create a culture where everyone supports each other. This is especially important during times of increased stress, such as during the coronavirus pandemic.

This guide from Our NHS People is designed to help leaders and managers within the NHS to understand the importance of compassion and apply it to their role. It is broken up into multiple short sections, including:

  • how to create a compassionate environment,
  • diversity and inclusion considerations,
  • why it is especially important during the COVID-19 crisis, and
  • four practical components of compassion and what they look like in the workplace.

You can choose to make an account on the Our NHS People site, even if you do not work for the NHS. This allows you to track your progress through this guide and many others, and lets you return to the place you left off if you have to stop part way through a section. Click here to create an account or log in. However, you do not need to make an account to access it if you’d prefer not to.

To see the full list of guides available from Our NHS People, click here.

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