The One Thing Your Team Actually Needs from You

I co-chair a national collaborative of accomplished entrepreneurs. At a recent meeting, the CEO of a mid-sized company asked the group “How do I get my employees to think I care about them so they’ll be motivated to go the extra mile?” It was a question that everyone present wanted the answer to. I raised my hand and said, “I’ve found that the best way to make my people think that I care about them is…to actually care about them.”

It was a bit of a wise guy answer, but it was true. Now nobody would suggest that you care

about your staff in the same way or as much as you do about your family or close friends. But

they are people who are helping you succeed, allowing you to reach your goals. As a human

you should care about them and as a leader you’ll get more from them if they believe you care about them. FDR liked to say “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” So how do they know if you care?

Some people think the answer is money. It’s not. Some of the best-paying jobs are in industries notorious for cut-throat behavior (which is a major reason those jobs must pay well). Caring is demonstrated through human interactions. It's not hard or complicated, and some leaders do it effortlessly. Some elements came easily to me but I systematized others to make sure my intent came through consistently to everyone on my team.

Be intentional during onboarding. When someone joined my company, besides providing the information they needed for the job, we’d work to demonstrate that we were glad to have them with us. On the first day we put flowers at their desk, had their peers sign a welcome card, and hosted a luncheon with them as guest of honor. I would say to them, “We want this to be the best job you’ve ever had. That’s a shared responsibility, but the company will do its part if you do yours. And you can come to me personally as CEO if you believe we’re letting you down.”

Thank them. Humans like to feel appreciated. The easiest way to do this is to tell them you

appreciate them, yet leaders don’t do this nearly enough. When I realized that I was guilty of

this, I created a simple chart. The column listed my direct reports and the rows were the days of the work week. Each time I explicitly thanked a team member I checked the box. They didn’t have to do something extraordinary to merit thanks; their standard performance was strong so it was easy to find reasons to credit them. My goal was to thank every team member at least once a week. After a while this developed into a habit and I gave up charting. Thanking my team members regularly – publicly or privately – was a simple way to show them I cared. And they deserved the appreciation.

Show interest in career goals and professional development. At the start of each report’s

employment I’d ask “What are your career goals? How can I make sure that the time you spend here advances those goals? What skills do you want to develop and how can we support that?” At each annual and mid-year review I’d ask the same questions. Sometimes the discussion involved them leaving the company for graduate school or another firm. One of the best ways to powerfully demonstrate caring about an employee is to show genuine interest in their career, even (especially) if their long-term goals are outside of your company.

Find mentors. While you can mentor your reports, the best mentors are not their bosses. I

would find my staff individuals who could mentor them on issues they needed most, whether

technical or behavioral. For women or people of color I’d connect them with successful

individuals of similar background who could provide advice from lived experience I lacked. This was greatly appreciated by my reports and the mentors typically enjoyed the experience as well.

Know what’s on their mind. Regularly ask your reports how they’re doing. (See my blog on 1:1 meetings.) If they share something especially good or bad that’s happening in their life spend time congratulating or empathizing. Then follow up next time you meet (or sooner, if

appropriate) to show that you really listened and remembered. I would write anything significant in meeting notes to make sure I’d remember to ask about it subsequently.

Caring isn’t some touchy-feely concept; it’s good leadership. If it comes naturally to you, great. If not, create systems to make it happen. Your people will notice either way. They’ll work harder, stay longer, and help you succeed – not because you fooled them into thinking you care, but because you actually do.