Create 2 separate responses to the two discussions. Answer in your opinion and how you relate to the topic. Tell a story about your experience and how you relate. elaborate and answer fully

1. One of the most important values in life for me is kindness and compassion. I try everyday to act with love in my heart, understanding in my mind and compassion in my actions. As with most people, I have been on the receiving end of unkind actions and words. I will never forget how some of those interactions made me feel.

Before I started working at my current job, I had never really had experience with a toxic leader. I did have tough ones, but none were as "cold" as the one I have now. I have tried to find some good in my experience with this manager, some lesson that I can take with me in my future after I leave this company. One good thing that I have gotten from her is a great idea for the article I chose!

When I think of the type of leader I want to be, the first thing I think of is the exact opposite of what my current manager is. I want to be a compassionate leader, which is why I chose the article "5 Reasons Why Compassionate Leadership is the Key to Success" by Goldie Chan.

This article really stood out to me as it touches a lot of what I believe. A couple of the points she touches on that I agree with the most is that compassion reduces turnover and improves job satisfaction. I feel that on such a personal level as I walk through the process of looking for a new job because of one leader. I have watched several of my co-workers take new positions in our agency or accept jobs at different agencies because they did not want to work under this person any longer. Those of us that have stayed are not happy and are regularly looking for opportunities to move on. Chan states that employees are less likely to produce work that is at a high standard if they do not feel valued and that they thrive more when feel supported and safe. As embarassed as I am to admit this, there are days that I do not want to give my best work. I feel like we are all going to be criticized no matter what so on some days, I don't want to put all of my energy into work that will not be appreciated.

We spend so much time at our place of employment with our co-workers and leadership, often more than we spend with our own families. For me, I want to enjoy my time at work and trust who I have leading me, not be afraid to ask for help or anything wrong. I feel that it is possible to do the hard things (letting employees go, etc) while still being compassionate and understanding... and that is exactly what I want to be.

2. I am the kind of person who strives at being kind and compassionate towards everyone. It doesn't matter what the person has done to me, I am always there to help anyone that I meet. As I try to this in my personal life, I also strive to do it in my professional life as well. I am a big believer that when someone is struggling you should always try and help them.

I have had so many employers that have not felt the exact same way, and only care about the company's success rather than their employees. I worked at a place that fired me because I was an emotional wreck at work because I had something very tragic happen to me. I would cry while I was working but I still came in trying to my job. They saw this as a distraction for other employees and would send me home, then eventually fired me. On the other hand, though I had a boss right after this that was compassionate and cared, who even came with me and held my hand while I went through some tough times. This is the leader I want to be and is why I chose the video by Michael West called Compassionate and Inclusive Leadership.

West states that, "when we lead compassionately, we're concerned to involve everybody, to share leadership, to work across leadership boundaries, to prioritize care overall not just our areas and collective compassion." I feel like this is very important, as a company everyone is a team and needs to be involved in all aspects of the success. Being concerned about others well being is important, in order for a company to have productive employees, the company's leaders need to show compassion and empathize with their employees.

West also talks about the four key behaviors of compassionate leadership being attending, understanding, empathizing, and helping. Having these four key behaviors helps a leader to be a compassionate leader. The first step in doing this is self-compassion, to have resilience and the capacity to lead compassionately, one must be attentive to themselves and what struggles they may have to better understand what others are going through. If we don't take care of ourselves then we are less likely to be able to help others when they need it, just like the saying you must love yourself before you can love others.

As I go through this video and these classes, I am learning so much about the leader I want to be when I open my own business. I know that to run a business I am going to have to put in a lot of work and time into the company, and I want to be able to this with a good conscious in knowing that my passion is showing in my work. I want my employees to enjoy and feel appreciated and valued when they come to work, this is where they will spend 40 hours a week, I want them to know that I am not all about myself and my success, but more as to we are a family who cares about one another and are here to support each other.