The Silent Struggles Among Us - Perspectives on Leading with Compassion in the Workplace

Introduction

In June 2025, Ambassador Maryben Omollo—an internationally recognised mental health and leadership coach, 17-time award-winning speaker, and founder of the Maryben Foundation—delivered a powerful message that continues to resonate across professional spaces. With a global reach of over 50 million, Omollo has long championed the creation of resilient and inclusive workplaces across Africa. Her recent experience during a corporate wellness training in Kenya revealed a painful truth: many employees are silently battling personal hardships while being misjudged by those around them. Her story is a call to action for leaders, colleagues, and organisations to lead with empathy, not assumptions.

A Quiet Presence in the Room

During a workplace wellness training session, Omollo noticed a woman sitting quietly at the back of the room. Her eyes were tired, her shoulders heavy, and her skin pale. She was physically present, but emotionally distant—almost invisible. Omollo, guided by her mantra, “We look, but we don’t judge,” chose not to make assumptions. The woman didn’t speak during the session. But after everyone else had left, she approached Omollo and whispered, “Thank you. I really needed this. I’ve just come from chemo. I’m trying my best.” She had been battling stage 2 cancer for months. Despite her condition, she continued to show up for work, respond to emails, and do her best to maintain her job and dignity.

Misjudged and Misunderstood

What broke Omollo’s heart was not just the woman’s illness—it was how her colleagues had treated her. Some had labelled her as lazy, disengaged, or indifferent. One even joked that she looked like someone who might “drop dead anytime.”

1. They didn’t know she was fighting for her life.
2. They didn’t know her silence was not defiance—it was survival.
3. They didn’t know her fatigue wasn’t disinterest—it was chemotherapy.

And yet, they judged her anyway.

The Culture of Assumption

This experience led Omollo to ask some difficult questions:

1. When did we become so quick to label people?
2. When did we forget that our coworkers are human beings—with families, pain, and private battles?

In today’s fast-paced, results-driven work culture, it’s easy to overlook the emotional and physical toll life can take on individuals. We often judge what we see without understanding what lies beneath.

The Hidden Stories Around Us

Omollo reminds us that we don’t need to know someone’s full story to be kind. Every workplace is filled with people carrying invisible burdens:

1. The colleague who’s always late might be caring for a sick parent.
2. The employee who seems distracted might be grieving a loss.
3. The intern who appears lost might be battling anxiety or depression.

Behind every behaviour is a story. Behind every silence is a reason.

A Call for Compassionate Leadership

Omollo’s message is not just about kindness—it’s about leadership. She urges organisations to build cultures where being human is not punished, but protected. Where silence is not judged, but gently explored. Where people are not reduced to their performance, but respected for their presence. She offers three simple but powerful principles:

1. Don’t rush to label people—pause and listen.
2. Don’t assume—ask.
3. Don’t judge the silence—it might be holding back tears.

The Cost of Misjudgment

When we fail to lead with empathy, we risk alienating the very people who need support the most. Misjudgment can lead to:

1. Emotional isolation
2. Decreased morale
3. Increased turnover
4. Long-term damage to workplace culture

But when we choose compassion, we create environments where people feel safe, seen, and supported. And that’s where true productivity and loyalty begin.

Building a Culture of Grace

Omollo challenges leaders to shift from gossip to grace, from judgment to understanding. She believes that the most successful organisations are not those with the most rigid policies, but those with the most compassionate people. Creating a culture of grace means:

1. Training managers to recognise signs of distress.
2. Encouraging open conversations about mental and physical health.
3. Offering flexibility and support without stigma.
4. Valuing presence, not just performance.

Reflection

Ambassador Maryben Omollo’s story is a poignant reminder that we never truly know what someone else is going through. In a world that often prioritises speed over sensitivity, her words call us back to the heart of leadership: humanity. The woman in the back of the room wasn’t lazy. She was courageous. She was showing up in the midst of pain, doing her best to hold on to her job, her dignity, and her life. And yet, she was misjudged by those who never took the time to ask. Omollo’s experience challenges us all to slow down, to look deeper, and to lead with empathy. Because the truth is, every workplace is filled with silent warriors—people who are fighting battles we cannot see.

Lesson to Learn

Before you judge, pause. Before you assume, ask. Before you label, listen. The strongest workplaces are not built on performance alone—they are built on compassion. Let’s create environments where being human is not a liability, but a strength. Let’s lead with grace, not gossip. Because sometimes, the quietest person in the room is the one who needs kindness the most.