Coaching with compassion and its role in helping people change

A big part of any manager or leader’s job is to help people change. The development of your team and colleagues is critical to business outcomes and high performance. It’s also key to their lifelong learning and growth.

Coaching is most typically approached from a lens of compliance, that is, with set ideas of how people need to act or change. While the best of intentions may drive this coaching style, it’s far from effective. After all, no one wants to feel like they need to be fixed.

Instead, we must lead with compassion. For change leadership coaching to be truly powerful, it must consider the personal vision and goals of those it’s trying to help.

No matter the industry or leadership role, this episode will make you re-consider your coaching leadership style and approach to helping others. You will learn:


Why coaching with compassion is the best way to help others grow.

In this episode of EI at Work, we’re joined by Richard Boyatzis, world-leading emotional intelligence expert, Distinguished University Professor of Case Western Reserve University, and co-author of Helping People Change. He joins co-hosts Marie El Daghl and Genos International CEO, Dr Ben Palmer to discuss:  

  • The difference between coaching for compliance and coaching with compassion, and why the latter is key to long term learning and growth.
  • Why trying to ‘fix’ others isn’t conducive to change.
  • The importance of personal vision in driving lifelong change.
  • How to deliver constructive feedback with purpose and empathy.
  • Why senior leaders need to focus their energy on the strengths of their team, rather than the weaknesses.
About Campbell McGlynn

About Richard E. Boyatzis

Richard E. Boyatzis is a Distinguished University Professor of Case Western Reserve University. He graduated from MIT and Harvard. He has authored more than 200 articles and 9 books on leadership, competencies, emotional intelligence, competency development, coaching, neuroscience, and management education. This includes the international best-seller, Primal Leadership with Daniel Goleman and Annie McKee, and the recent Helping People Change with Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten. His Coursera Massive Open Online Courses have over a million enrolled.

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