The Truth About Better Decision-Making (Collection), 2/e

Truth 40. Compassion promotes performance

In the course of human events, work still has to get done. And unfortunately, we can’t make ourselves so busy that we can hold off the normal course of human events. No matter how we cram our calendars with wall-to-wall appointments, our lives are still filled with the terrible happenstances of being human: death, illness, accidents, national tragedies. The more people you have in your department, the more you are faced with the need to rise above your own fears and feelings and extend compassion to your employees.

This can be a frightening time for you, too, even if you’re not personally or directly affected by the tragedy. You risk saying or doing the very thing that will make matters worse for your ...