What happens when leaders are given the time and space to pause, listen and imagine a different way of leading?
In the green and welcoming surroundings of the Roua Garden venue, the three-day event offered participants something increasingly precious in demanding times: the opportunity to step away from the urgency of everyday work, learn from one another and explore how leadership can be practised with greater care, courage and intention.
The programme was built around community, honest exchange and practical application. Compassion was not approached simply as a personal value or an inspiring idea, but as a leadership practice, one capable of shaping how decisions are made, how teams work together and how people experience their organisations.
Throughout the event, participants reflected openly on what compassionate leadership can look like across different organisational contexts, regardless of an organisation’s size, history or stage of development. Together, they explored how leaders can create environments in which people feel truly heard, supported and empowered, while continuing to carry demanding responsibilities and navigate challenging circumstances.
The learning journey centred on three main areas: leading through questions, developing reflective practices and creating 90-day action plans.
Through practical exercises, peer discussions and moments of individual reflection, participants explored the power of thoughtful questions. The right question, asked with genuine curiosity, can build trust, invite people to take ownership and reveal possibilities that might otherwise remain unseen. Participants also discovered how regular reflection can help leaders become more aware of their choices, behaviours and impact. And lead with greater clarity and purpose.
One of the most valuable parts of the programme was turning insight into action. Through their 90-day action plans, each participant identified concrete practices and realistic changes they could introduce within their team or organisation after returning home. In this way, the conversations in Buftea became more than a source of inspiration: they became commitments to meaningful and achievable change.
And the learning journey did not end when the three-day event concluded.
To keep the conversations, reflection and mutual support alive, participants were connected through a buddy programme with peers from different organisations, sectors and cities. Each buddy pair committed to meeting regularly, sharing experiences and reflecting together on the progress of their action plans.
These cross-organisational connections will help participants maintain momentum, navigate challenges and remind one another that change does not have to be pursued alone. They also strengthen a regional community of NGO leaders, people who can continue to learn from one another, exchange support and build relationships long after the formal programme has ended.
The event reminded us that compassionate leadership is not simply about being kind. It is about listening with intention, asking better questions, creating space for reflection and making conscious choices about how people are supported, especially when times are difficult. It requires courage, attention and consistency. Most importantly, it has the power to create healthier, stronger and more resilient organisations.
We are deeply grateful to NGO Academy for the financial support that made this Community-Led Event possible and for continuing to invest in opportunities that bring civil society leaders together across countries, organisations and sectors.
“Leading with Compassion: Cultivating Care in Challenging Times” offered participants new tools and perspectives, but also something just as valuable: a community of peers united by the belief that care can be a source of strength and that leadership can be both effective and deeply human.
We left Buftea with practical plans, stronger connections and renewed hope. Hope that leadership rooted in compassion can transform not only the way organisations work, but also the way people feel within them. Hope that small, intentional changes can travel from one leader to one team, from one organisation to another and, eventually, across an entire region. Because meaningful change often begins with one thoughtful question, one courageous choice and one person deciding to lead with care.
