This week, we gathered a group of leaders at the Center for a Loving Workplace to explore the topic of Compassion. Research on the benefits of leading with Compassion over the past years has led professionals to investigate what used to be deemed as a 'soft skill' and understand how to codify it within individual and teams' behaviours at work.

If everyone belongs, why does life have to hurt so much for some? Why can this world seem so unjust sometimes? What is ours to do – what is our individual and collective responsibility to bring forward a more just and loving reality where everyone really does belong?

Imagine a workplace where employees feel genuinely seen, heard, and cared for. Where managers don't just understand issues intellectually but connect with them emotionally. This is the transformative power of empathy in leadership.

Building a more loving workplace involves navigating relationships and team dynamics. In our work, the need for and importance of apology and owning mistakes in order to deepen relationships through conflict is understated.

The concept of bringing love into the workplace can be as radical as it is transformative. In a culture often guided by metrics, deadlines, and rigid hierarchies, the idea of love may seem antithetical or even a weakness. Yet, the potential benefits of fostering a more compassionate, understanding, and "loving" work environment should not be ignored.

We had a powerful 90-minute community gather recently, all about breaking down the idea that we have to face everything alone. Our community talked about moving from a “me” mindset to an “us” mindset. In simpler terms, it’s about supporting and lifting each other up instead of trying to tackle everything by ourselves.

During a recent social hour, members at the Center for a Loving Workplace took time to assess how the concept of respect is integral in crafting Brave Spaces in professional settings. During this conversation, It became clear that a revaluation and adaptation of key concepts is necessary to respond to the dynamics of today's diverse workforce. Below are the key points we discussed during the gathering.

In a recent Social Hour at the Center, we grappled with the attitude and process of forgiveness. We looked at Forgiveness from different angles to deepen our individual and collective practice:

What is the role of forgiveness in personal growth and relationships?

How can we acknowledge and process anger to move towards forgiveness?

What's a simple process to reflect, mourn and move on?

What are the barriers and enablers to forgiveness?

How does forgiveness contribute to building healthy professional relationships and loving organizational culture?