Why Compassion and Why Now?
Why Compassion and Why Now?
I wanted this first blog post to come out with a bang because Compassion Theory deserves fireworks, and neon signs, and a loud-bang, but I’ve decided that that just won’t do. Instead, I’ll share a bit of our story with you. I want to tell you how Compassion Theory came to life. How we got our legs and how we intend to move forward in the world.
Compassion Theory came to life after one tragic event, some deep soul searching and several years of research and learning. I went looking for a solution to a deep-rooted problem and found a lasting solution that has been hiding in plain sight. Compassion is the culmination of my studies and now the purpose of my existence.
My “aha moment” or my “moment of lift” as Melinda Gates would put it, happened on an April morning in 2023. Per my usual Monday routine, I went to work, fired up my computer, and noticed another mass shooting had occurred, this time at a Bank in Louisville, KY. I won’t go into the details of what happened that day, but I will share what a profound impact it had on the trajectory of my life.
As the days went on after the shooting, more details emerged about the shooter, and the details told a wildly different story, at least to me, than we had seen before. He was in mid-twenties, working his first job out of college. He was an All-American kid – popular, good-looking, athletic. He was living in an apartment a few hours from his parents. He was a great student and from all accounts, a good co-worker. He was the kid down the street; he was who I wanted my son to become – at least on paper. And yet, he committed such an atrocity that no one will ever understand. I just couldn’t get this to add up in my head. How? How could this happen?
I lost a lot of sleep in the days that followed, as I just couldn’t escape my desperate need to understand how this could happen, or at the very least, what can be done about it going forward. Now I don’t have the audacity to believe that I could have changed the events of this day, but I do believe we have an incredible learning lesson to be had here.
I have spent much of my career in HR, so I am trained to be a problem-solver and I kept looking at this situation through that lens. What could have been done? What was missed? How could this have happened. I ruminated on these questions for days and, ultimately, went on a discovery mission to try and soothe this ache in me.
This question that kept me up at night led me down a rabbit hole of leadership practices, history lessons, scientific discovery and business data that I now get to share with as many people will listen!
What I have learned, after so much input and contemplation, is that no matter what facet of life you are in, compassion is the answer to whatever the question may be. Circling back to leadership and the workplace, compassion is the greatest path we have to connection, which is what we are all deeply seeking. I am a seeker and I’m willing to bet you are too!
Thus, Compassion Theory was born. Our mission is to make the world a more compassionate place, one leader at a time.
I cannot wait to transport you down the rabbit hole with me!
Welcome to Compassion Theory!
