ABP Event Overview: Developing Self-Compassion and Compassionate Leadership in the Workplace
The Association for Business Psychology (ABP) was delighted to host this interactive Awards case study session with Dr Amanda Super, Chartered Occupational and Coaching Psychologist, exploring the science and practice of self-compassion and its application to compassionate leadership in the workplace.
Overview of the Session
In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, leaders and employees face escalating pressures which compromise wellbeing, resilience and performance. Dr Super drew on her award-winning research and practice to demonstrate how self-compassion and compassionate leadership offer powerful antidotes to stress and burnout, supporting both individual and organisational outcomes.
Participants were introduced to the three foundations of self-compassion – mindfulness, self-kindness, and common humanity – as originally defined by Neff (2003). Dr Super highlighted that self-compassion is not a fixed trait but a dynamic, trainable skill that leaders and teams can intentionally cultivate.
A practical highlight was the RAIN exercise – Recognise, Allow, Investigate (with kindness), and Natural awareness – which provides a simple and memorable tool to navigate difficult moments with compassion. As Dr Super emphasised, self-compassion is “permission to be human, not perfect,” and a skill which deepens our capacity to show authentic compassion to others.
The session also presented findings from Dr Super’s Compassionate Leadership Coaching Programme, which has been rigorously evaluated with senior leaders across multiple organisations. The programme demonstrated statistically significant improvements in both self-compassion and mental wellbeing, alongside enhanced leadership behaviours such as empathy, inclusiveness, and respect for boundaries.
Participant Reflections
Feedback from the session captured its personal and professional impact:
“Thank you so much for such an engaging, caring and interesting session”
“I love the RAIN acronym… I’ve struggled with self-compassion throughout my whole life”
“Your practical approach made self-compassion feel real and doable—much appreciated!”
“We have to be self-compassionate to show compassion to others—so important”
“Lovely and insightful to hear about your study and compassionate leadership in more detail”
“My action will be to review those resources and make plans to implement my learning with those I line manage”
Key Takeaways
Self-compassion is foundational to compassionate leadership. Leaders must first practice self-compassion to sustainably extend compassion to others (West & Chawla, 2021).
Practical tools enable change. Short, memorable techniques such as RAIN can disrupt cycles of self-criticism and foster resilience.
Evidence matters. Dr Super’s programme demonstrated large effect sizes in self-compassion development and wellbeing improvements, affirming its practical value in organisational contexts.
Culture change is possible. Compassion, when embedded at individual, team and organisational levels, enhances engagement, collaboration, inclusion, and performance outcomes.
Closing Reflection
As one participant noted, “We set the tone and share our values with every single person we come into contact with each day.” This session reminded us that cultivating self-compassion not only transforms our personal wellbeing but creates ripple effects across teams and organisations.
Dr Super left us with a resonant message: “A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day; a string of such moments can change the course of your life.”