Compassionate Accountability by Nate Regier takes an in depth look at how compassion and accountability work hand-in-hand.

What I Liked About Compassionate Accountability by Nate Regier

Regier does a thorough job of presenting a solid case that shows the importance of compassion in the workplace. He is very clear that compassion doesn’t mean leaders don’t hold employees accountable. Regier emphasizes people can’t be effective leaders without having compassion and accountability. He says, “A leader is accountable to their organization for their own behaviors that help others deliver the results.”

According to Regier, “As a leader, you should take responsibility for your own behaviors and let others do the same.” When leaders try to control employees behaviors they enable the employees to pass the buck. Holding people accountable means “upholding a contract between people.” Regier makes it clear compassion and accountability aren’t at odds, but “real compassion includes and requires accountability.”

He defines compassion as struggling alongside another person, which doesn’t necessarily take away the person’s suffering. Compassionate accountability is about building connections while getting results.

What You’ll Like About Compassionate Accountability

If you are interested in learning about how compassionate accountability can work for you and your organization, you’ll find plenty of data, examples, and tough questions to answer in this book.

The book is divided into four parts. Part I explains compassionate accountability. Part II presents the model, which challenges leaders to practice and demonstrate. He uses the example of three switches—value, capability, and responsibility—and describes what each switch looks like when it’s turned on and when it’s turned off. Part III gives many examples where compassionate accountability has been implemented and provides a ten-step process for leaders to follow to establish it in their organizations. Finally, Part IV outlines barriers you may face if you make the decision to introduce compassionate accountability in your organization. At the end of the book, Regier includes an assessment for you to see if your switches are on or off.

Final Thoughts

Compassionate Accountability is easy to understand, makes sense, and clearly shows compassion and accountability are not at odds with each other. The author has included many great examples of how it can work in any organization. Regier says it’s the power of mindset that makes a difference. Leaders who are willing to develop compassionate accountability will fly and those who refuse will stay on the ground. The challenge, according to Regier, is to make the choice to change “your mindset,” which will open up new possibilities for you to grow and learn.

I received an advance reader copy to review. For more reviews, visit my blog.