Each year, we honor leaders who embody compassionate leadership, driving progress through empathy and action.
Nominations for 2026 wil open in December 2025
What is compassionate leadership?
Compassionate leaders are people who LEAD WITH LOVE. We define compassionate leadership as:
Using your head and heart to inspire and influence others so they can inspire and influence others.
Compassionate leaders acknowledge our universal interconnectedness and use their influence to make a positive impact on people and planet.
These leaders are courageous, contemplative, collaborative, and care about the world they will leave behind.
- Laurel Donnellan, Founder, Compassionate Leaders Circle
Award Criteria
We evaluate nominees against the seven criteria below:
- Compassionate: Use influence to prevent and alleviate the suffering of others.
- Confident: Believe in their visions and themselves.
- Collaborative: Empower all stakeholders to leverage their strengths and be leaders.
- Contemplative: Take time to pause and deeply reflect, emerging wiser and more self-compassionate.
- Civil: Demonstrate respect when confronted with differing points of view and other challenges.
- Curious: Learn and listen proactively.
- Courageous: Advocate strongly for themselves, their values, and their stakeholders.
Our Partners
We are immensely grateful to our partners for the 2025 CLC Awards. A special thank you to Angles, Inc., our only inaugural partner, who helps us promote compassion through their one of a kind digital marketing platform. Canyon Ranch, who offer our CLC community upgrades when they visit one of their properties. Changing Work, a community who supports compassionate leaders everyday. Changing work is providing three month memberships to their amazing platform to everyone who attends the ceremony.
Our leadership programs
Compassion is a critical skill for current and future leaders. The good news is compassion can be learned and cultivated.
Our unconventional, customized programs teach the value of compassion at work and help people Lead with Love.
Learn more