7 Small Ways Great Leaders Show They Care

How to understand that a manager is doing their job with care for the employees? There are a lot of misconceptions and stereotypes about how a leader should interact with their employees. Some think that a leader should be cold-blooded towards employees, and some believe that they are better to be friendly, staying on the same page with everyone. Indeed, there are several leadership models each of which can be tailored to the specific organizational culture but there are also seven points that show that the leader cares about others. And that matters.

Show of Empathy

Many people believe that leaders should have a cool head and sobriety without any feelings. But when working with people, it can negatively affect relationships with colleagues. The ability to show empathy and understanding is something that every successful leader should have.

The feeling of empathy from the manager works as a psychological defense for employees. This creates an understanding that in case of any troubles you can share this with the leader and not stay awake for a week waiting for the verdict.

Balance in Relationships

When working with people, it is very difficult to keep the line between personal and professional relationships. Leaders must be rational and interact with their employees in a humane manner but be fair in a professional context.

For example, if an employee's children are ill, and they cannot do their job properly for some time, then the leader shouldn’t close his eyes to this. The caring manager will give an employee time to take care of the children, but at the same time delegate the responsibilities to another specialist so that the activities of the entire company are not affected.

Ability to Refuse

The ability to say no is also a characteristic of a leader who cares about their employees. The word “No” said firmly but politely can be the key to the success of the entire team. For example, when the management sets tight deadlines or in the case when there are important tasks but the team asks for a corporate weekend, the word “No” followed by “Yes” for some other perks for the team would be wise.

A rational approach and the ability to refuse is also a guarantee of personal success. Leaders are often faced with the fact that they have to work with people with whom they cannot connect or with those who do not do their job properly. Just one employee can hinder the effectiveness of the entire team and the personal success of the leader. Therefore, the ability to say no is a skill that plays a role not only in caring for the team but also in the personal growth of a leader as a specialist. Those who cannot say no cannot be leaders.

Providing Opportunities to Develop

If we are talking about leaders who put care in the foreground, then they always create development opportunities for their employees. Leaders must help their employees move up the career ladder, gain new knowledge, and do their job better.

This approach inspires confidence among colleagues and understanding that you can get rewards and new opportunities is a good motivation. If the leader in every possible way prevents the employee from developing professionally, then it will be difficult for such a leader to fulfill all the set business tasks and create an effective team.

Listening Skills

Often, the experience of leaders allows them to anticipate the questions of their subordinates even before the question is asked. This forces leaders to interrupt colleagues or turn a “deaf ear”. But the leader who takes care always listens to what their employees say.

But this does not mean that during working hours colleagues can tell them about how they spent the weekend. There is a crucial need for keeping a balance and encouraging effective communication practices in the team in order to avoid time waste.

Equal Relationship

Leaders need to communicate with the team with an equal approach to everyone. The care of leaders is manifested in respect for all members of the company, from crucial departments to employees in the service department.

Such leaders have the same attitude and observance of subordination with all members of the company. To build relationships, they do not need to demonstrate their status, position, and merit. Unfortunately, many leaders can go too far in relationships, and very often this pushes employees away from them. It is enough to behave in such a way with one employee, as it can affect the attitude of the whole team due to gossip. It works something like reviews from such companies as Writing Judge and the Best Writers Online that check every popular writing service and create a verdict about their quality.

Participation in the Life of the Team

Leaders who care about their employees will not close their eyes to conflicts. The manifestation of care from leaders is that they respond to everything that happens in the team. If conflicts arise, then the leader strives to eliminate them. Leaders observe what is happening in the team and try to organize work so that employees are effective and do not waste time sorting out the relationship.

Leaders also respond to the problems of their employees. For example, a real leader will not pass by when they see that an employee asks to borrow money from colleagues to pay for something urgent, like a healthcare service for a close one. If an employee gets sick, the leader will help ensure that they get help from the company.

The Bottom Line

Use these 7 points to check if you are a caring leader or if your manager really cares about their team. If you are a leader then such points can be your plan of improvement in a professional context and building strong relations within your team. Showing you care is key to creating a healthy environment in the workplace and inspire your team to follow you on the way to business growth. 

Author Bio:

Nancy P. Howard has been working as a journalist at the online magazine in London for a year. She is also a professional writer in such topics as blogging, SEO and marketing.