An Open Letter to Civic and Business Leaders: The Cure to COVID-19 Begins with Compassion

It’s easy to take the simple joys of life for granted. At least that was the case before the coronavirus pandemic. Now even the simplistic forms of normalcy and human connection are deeply meaningful. I shared this sentiment with a professional acquaintance earlier this week. After weeks of social distancing, we each visited our Mothers for the Mother’s Day holiday. We each expressed gratitude for our short but joyful visits. I shared that our visit was especially meaningful to my older son who is among the legions of high school seniors foregoing treasured rites of passage as a result of the pandemic. I wasn’t however prepared for the dramatic shift in our conversation, as she disclosed that her father recently passed away making the holiday bittersweet. He is among the growing ranks of those who have prematurely lost their lives to COVID-19. And she is among the growing ranks of my family, friends and colleagues who have been tragically affected by this pandemic. I offered my heartfelt condolences but was for the most part speechless. 

This crisis demands that I find and use my voice.

Early in my career a trusted mentor recommended a timely book, The Leader’s Voice. The basic concept of the book is that authentic communication from leaders has the power to inspire action and effect change – especially in turbulent times. As the coronavirus pandemic takes a heavy toll on the physical, mental, emotional and economic well-being of our communities, individuals are looking to leaders for solutions. As a leader, my most essential instrument is my voice which has the power to inform, influence and inspire.

The leadership positions I occupy within my company and community are a distinct privilege, and they come with requisite responsibilities. 

I know that countless leaders feel similarly. And these leaders are acting prudently and decisively during this crisis. I fear, however, that there is a particular area where we as business and civic leaders are falling short. The deliberations informing our actions are comparatively long on intellect but short on empathy. My observation is neither a critique nor a judgement, but rather a call to action: The cure to COVID-19 begins with compassion. 

As business and civic leaders, we have an urgent call – and a tremendous opportunity – to lead with greater compassion. Scientists must develop medicine to heal the body. Leaders must provide the balm to heal the soul.

Finding Purpose During the Pandemic

In August 2019, Fortune magazine published a cover story on the purpose of the corporation. The Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs from among the largest and most influential corporations, had redefined the corporate purpose debate with a clear and concise statement. More than two decades prior, their predecessors issued a statement that affirmed a commonly accepted view that the preeminent purpose of the corporation was to increase shareholder value. Indeed, the most ardent capitalists argued this was the sole purpose of the corporation. 

The 2019 version of the statement, however, asserts that in addition to generating long-term value for shareholders,the mission of the corporation entails delivering value to customers, investing in employees, dealing ethically with suppliers and supporting communities. The statement garnered considerable support, with 181 of 194 members signing the final document. The statement and associated deliberations reflect a shift to a more socially responsible philosophy espoused by many enterprises. 

Nevertheless, our beliefs are not measured by evocative words but rather demonstrative deeds. 

We hardly envisioned the test that would quickly arise in the form of an unprecedented pandemic. The spread of the coronavirus has imperiled our businesses, threatened the well-being of our employees and communities, and challenged the relations within and between nation-states. Though the crisis is acutely unsettling, it also provides clarity of calling. If we indeed believe that our greatest purpose is fulfilled when we are committed to the going concern of our businesses, the welfare of our communities and the success of our nations, then fate has afforded us the opportunity to demonstrate the depth of our convictions and breadth of our compassion. 

Lessons From Our Past

COVID-19 presents an acute challenge because it is caused by a novel coronavirus, which means that the strain has not been previously identified in humans. And, while we have much to discover about this new pathogen, we have a rich history of leadership lessons that can inform our approach to decision making during the current crisis.  

Now, more than ever, we need competent, courageous and collaborative leadership from our business and civic leaders. And history has a great deal to teach us with respect to the quality of leadership required now. 

When we consider leadership competence, we needn’t look further than our fight against poliomyelitis. It was during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the nation’s leaders turned the tide against polio, the disabling and life-threatening disease. Roosevelt had a unique form of empathy as he himself was paralyzed from the waist down following a bout with polio in his young adult life. President Roosevelt encouraged the establishment of the National Foundation for the Control of Infantile Poliomyelitis, which became the largest voluntary health organization of all time. The foundation employed revolutionary strategies such as working with celebrities to raise awareness for their campaigns and enlisting women across the nation in what became known as the Mother’s March of Dimes. Government played an essential role in supporting innovative scientific research and the best and brightest scientists were drawn to the noble cause. 

Our nation also has a long history of courageous citizens rising up to lead their communities in times of crisis. To find courageous leadership, you really need look no further than today’s first responders – and to those who heeded the call more than 100 years earlier in our fight against yellow fever. As many as 60 percent of healthcare workers sacrificed their lives caring for patients infected with yellow fever during outbreaks in the 19th and 20th centuries. Physicians James Carroll and Jesse Lazear, members of the U.S. Army commission on yellow fever, allowed themselves to be bitten by disease carrying mosquitoes to substantiate the mode of transmission. Dr. Jesse Lazear paid the ultimate price, succumbing to the disease. 

If we seek a textbook model of collaborative leadership, consider the fight against smallpox that spanned centuries. Edward Jenner is rightly recognized for his remarkable work in developing a smallpox vaccine in 1796. However, his accomplishments were preceded and enabled by variolation practices that were introduced to the American colonists by Africans who were brought to the colonies in the slave trade. It would be nearly two centuries later that governments around the world, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, would ensure vaccinations were provided in the farthest corners of the globe. The WHO announced the eradication of smallpox in 1980, one of the greatest collaborative efforts by humankind. 

A crisis ultimately reveals mental and moral qualities. And history will serve as our judge as to the quality of our character and, most notably, the quotient of our compassion.

Lives and Livelihoods Matter

The coronavirus pandemic is taking a tremendous toll on society. There is an incalculable cost of lives and a commensurate loss of livelihoods. The cost is measured by the most rudimentary, though starkly sobering, statistics: by the number of fatalities, hospitalizations and shuttered businesses, as well as by rising unemployment and other economic measures.

But let’s be clear: The impact goes far beyond statistics, as the pandemic has dramatically impaired the way in which we go about many aspects of our daily lives. There is a growing refrain that this crisis requires a tradeoff between lives and livelihoods. While we face critical choices that impact both our lives and our livelihoods, I want to caution against framing these choices as a false dichotomy. 

The path toward a comprehensive solution that will address this health and humanitarian crisis is both the key to saving lives and ensuring livelihoods. These aims are not independent rather they are interdependent. The consideration of both should engender civil discourse and not raucous debate because it is plain to see that lives and livelihoods matter. 

If we truly believe that all lives matter, then we must not idly accept that there are haves and have nots, winners and losers. If we resolve ourselves to this outcome, our actions – and more aptly, our inaction – will make it so. The history of humankind gives us poignant examples of how our faith and ingenuity have averted catastrophe, preserving and improving the way of life for all of society. Our perseverance despite dire circumstances epitomizes the power of the human spirit. 

We have the opportunity to emerge from this pandemic stronger, but it will require competence, courage, collaboration and most of all, compassion.

Close the Distance

It has been said that the coronavirus is a great equalizer. While it is true that the coronavirus does not discriminate, our reality is that people do. Our propensity to discriminate based on gender, age, ability, ethnicity, race and socioeconomic status is generally the result of pervasive conscious and unconscious biases. Certain biases are institutionalized, creating gross inequities that have plagued human relationships throughout history. This inconvenient truth demands an urgent address in the same way that the COVID-19 disease demands an urgent cure. 

We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the damaging effects of this pandemic are not being experienced in an equitable fashion. 

Our elderly, poor, infirm and ethnically diverse populations are not only at higher risk but are frankly suffering the greatest losses. If we are pitted against a common foe, what does it mean to serve the common good? As a society, what duty of care do we owe to those who are most vulnerable? 

The truest measure of compassion isn’t the empathy we express for our family, friends, colleagues or even strangers. Rather, it is the kindheartedness we demonstrate to the presumed least of those within society. This level of compassion rises to the fore when the common interest begins to outweigh self-interest. This kind of compassion is resurrected from the death of self-will when we dare to put the needs and concerns of others above our own. 

The etymology of the word compassion means to suffer with. Those who are most vulnerable need to know that we are with them. Said another way, we must close the social distance that separates us from those who are suffering. 

But what does “closing the distance” look like in practice? 

Closing the distance requires personally connecting people across our organizations and listening with our head and our hearts. I’ve intentionally increased my personal touchpoints with individuals within my professional, local and faith communities. These genuine conversations provide the candid perspective and emotional energy required to lead effectively during this crisis. Closing the distance means leading by example and being careful not to require a level of sacrifice from others that we are not willing to make ourselves. I’ve maintained a rotational schedule working alternative weeks in the office, although I can work remotely. This is a modest expression of solidarity with the essential workers inside and outside of my organization who are on the front lines. Closing the distance means leveraging my access to expertise and resources to assist small businesses and charities that provide vital services to our communities. While my wife and I have increased the amount and breadth of our charitable giving, the more impactful shift is the sacrifice of our time. We make special contributions to self-employed persons in our community, including barbers, stylists, drivers and musicians. We’ve also identified select opportunities to advise and support small enterprises that are navigating this crisis. I simply offer these representative examples to underscore my unwavering belief that compassionate leadership can help overcome inequity.

Leave No One Behind

In my faith tradition, there is a short parable that epitomizes compassionate leadership. In the parable, a shepherd who has a hundred sheep loses one. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and earnestly searches for the one sheep that has wandered astray. Upon finding the sheep, he returns joyfully and celebrates with family and friends. The parable is presented with a rhetorical question: Wouldn't a good shepherd leave the ninety-nine to go after the one who is lost? 

In the parable, there is no suggestion that the shepherd – or, better stated, the leader – views this as nothing short of his responsibility or purpose. There is no suggestion of ill-will toward the wandering sheep, only earnest concern for its safety and well-being. There is no thought of sacrifice of the lost sheep to secure the flock. The safe and secure return of the lost sheep is inextricably connected to the welfare of the entire flock, the entire community. There is no presumed trade-off between the livelihood of the shepherd and the life of the lost sheep. The shepherd courageously and compassionately pursues the lost sheep. 

In this time of global pandemic, what becomes of our proverbial lost sheep? How does their uncertain path compare to those who remain within the relative safety of the herd? What will become of the small business owner trying to forestall bankruptcy as she endures the economic shutdown? Consider the rideshare driver desperately trying to make ends meet given the disruption to the gig economy. What about the child pursuing e-learning from the wrong side of the digital divide, faced with the lack of reliable internet access or contemporary mobile technology? What about the physical and mental well-being of the elderly and persons with pre-existing medical conditions as they face an invisible and deadly foe? What is the sheltering-in-place experience like for a multi-generational family living in a cramped apartment? And how does this compare to the experiences of affluent and wealthy families? What of the strangers in developing countries in South America, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East? Does their distance make them less deserving of our care?

The moral of the story is that the world is in dire need of compassionate leaders. And now, just as at other critical moments in history, leaders are rising to the occasion. Large enterprises, including my company, are making supplemental payments to lower income workers and providing wide-ranging support services to employees in essential roles and families with special needs. Small private companies, whose businesses have been dramatically disrupted, are producing hand sanitizer and face coverings to aid the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. Leaders of healthcare systems, including the system where I serve as a trustee, have made remarkable sacrifices personifying the true definition of compassion. This is exemplified not only by the risks to their personal health but matched by financial sacrifices such as voluntary pay reductions to ensure the long-term viability of these vital enterprises. 

We, the business and civic leaders of this generation, are called to this task of addressing this pandemic. The nature of this crisis requires all of the competence, courage and collaboration we can muster. It ultimately will be less of a test of our wit and more a measure of our character. Empathy is the leadership quality that is most urgently needed. 

The cure to COVID-19 begins with compassion – and we, as leaders, are accountable for administering it to those in need.

Shundrawn A. Thomas is president of global investment management business, a management group member of a leading financial services company, and author of Discover Joy in Work: Transforming Your Occupation into Your Vocation