Compassion in Decision-Making
- Lisa Askins
- 14 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Transparency as a form of care.
“We’d like everyone back in the office.”
It sounds like a simple operational decision. But it’s actually a decision about trust, equity, and whose lives are allowed to matter. Because behind every logistical change are the human lives that absorb it:
The single parent rearranging childcare
The neurodivergent colleague finally regulated at home.
The employee managing chronic pain.
The caregiver balancing work and dignity.
When leaders choose without considering the cost to others, what they communicate is:
“Our comfort matters more than your reality.”
This is where compassion meets discernment.
Where good intentions aren’t enough.
Where values become visible in action.
Where decisions either strengthen trust or diminish it.
This is the illumination: seeing the full circle of impact before we decide.
Seeing With Clearer Eyes
Transparency as a form of care.
Leaders often make decisions with the information they have.
But employees live with the consequences of what leaders don’t see.
Compassion widens the lens.
Transparency says:
“You deserve to understand what’s changing and why.”
Because dignity lives in understanding, not guessing.
Reflection to consider:
Whose perspective needs to be included, not after the decision is made, but before?
Choosing With Integrity
Alignment between values and action
Most organizations say they value well-being, trust, and equity.
But every decision eventually asks:
Do we mean that?
Integrity is compassion with a spine. It calls us to notice when:
Pressure distorts priorities.
Urgency becomes an excuse.
Power chooses comfort over honesty.
Leaders who choose in alignment build trust even in discomfort.
Reflection to consider:
If we acted in full alignment with our values, how would this decision change?
Designing for Dignity
People shouldn’t be the unseen cost of progress.
Every choice creates ripples. Someone carries the burden.
Human-centered leadership asks:
Who benefits most?
Who bears the cost?
Who has a voice here? Who doesn’t?
What support honors dignity?
Dignity doesn’t mean everyone is pleased.
It means everyone is respected.
Reflection to consider:
How will the people affected experience the fairness of this choice?
The System and the Human Future
Constraints don’t remove responsibility — they reveal it.
Organizations are designed to prioritize financial performance.
That pressure is real.
It shapes what feels possible.
But people are the ones who generate that performance.
The system sets the constraints.
Leaders decide whether trust survives inside those constraints.
Even within limited budgets, tight timelines, and investor expectations, leaders choose what becomes visible and who remains protected.
Ethical leadership isn’t about having unlimited options; it’s about honoring humanity within the ones we have.
As you make decisions this week, ask:
What truth wants to be considered here?
What choice honors what we say we value?
How can this decision protect trust?
Who needs to be seen, heard, and cared for?
What constraint can I meet creatively without sacrificing dignity?
Let’s talk. If you’re navigating change and want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and connection, I’d love to support your next step.