The upward spiral of compassion
The physician Dr Okochi came close to shutting his clinic down: his employees were burnt out, medical mistakes had been made, and the atmosphere was toxic. Until, that is, the good doctor realized he had to change his style of leadership. What was his lever? Creating a chain of compassion!
Material reward does not consolidate long-term commitment – it may even chip away at it. It’s a much better bet to focus on values and translate them into actions geared towards other people. And that was an experiment that Okochi got right, performing acts of compassion and recognition with each of his employees. He went all out to pinpoint what constituted the ideal scenario for each of them, and then helped them achieve this goal.
The movement spread inside the clinic, with the nursing team applying the same mindset among their colleagues and patients, reversing the negative spiral that had become the norm. One nurse even went beyond the call of duty to escort an elderly couple to the regional hospital.
The patients in turn threw themselves into the life of the clinic and helped run the annual party. The chain reaction (of compassion) took root!
The results improved when financial goals gave way to human values and empathy. The employees even created a manga to recount the story of this human adventure! It’s a great idea – do you think you could replicate it in your workplace?
To go further
“The art of self-motivation in organisation leadership”
by Massahiro Okochi (TEDxKabulUniversity Studio, September 6, 2023).
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