Lean Tip
#3826 – Watch for Signs of Burnout in Others.
Work
burnout is a real problem today, and it comes at greater risk during times of
intense stress and pressure. Many people are stressed, putting in more work
hours than ever before and finding it difficult to separate work and home life.
Managers
who are skilled at empathetic leadership are able to recognize signs of
overwork in others before burnout becomes an issue that results in
disengagement or turnover. This might mean taking a few extra minutes each week
to check in with team members and gauge how they’re handling their current
workload and helping them to recover from overwork.
Lean Tip
#3827 – Listen With Genuine Curiosity
It
certainly is possible to increase empathy. As I usually say, that’s one
“muscle” that is better developed in some people and less in others. But we can
all cultivate and improve it. One concrete step is to commit to really
understanding others, by listening to them with openness and genuine curiosity.
Let go of your assumptions and judgments and really try to understand the
reality of the other person.
Lean Tip
#3828 – Be Mindful Of Each Individual’s Full Experience
Focus on
understanding each person’s individual experiences, challenges and needs,
rather than task-based updates. By actively listening, without judgment, and
reflecting back what they hear, leaders can better appreciate different
perspectives, enabling more considerate decisions that strengthen engagement
and productivity across the organization through improved emotional
intelligence.
Lean Tip
#3829 – Accept People As They Are
Real,
profound, relationship-changing empathy starts with the acceptance that you’ll
never fully understand others—and that understanding has nothing to do with
acceptance. Humans are complex, affected by context, beliefs, background and
culture. The best form of empathy is to not make assumptions; be supportive,
ask questions and accept how people are. Recognize that each individual has a
unique experience.
Lean Tip
#3830 – Balance Empathy With Accountability
While
empathy is essential, leaders must also maintain accountability. Empathy does
not mean avoiding difficult conversations or shying away from tough decisions
to avoid hurting someone's feelings. It means understanding and respecting
their emotions, even during difficult conversations. Leaders should balance
empathy and hold their team members responsible for their performance and
actions.
Lean Tip
#3831 – Emphasize Goal-Setting and Growth
To build
trust with your team, your employees need to know that you're invested in their
growth and success.
Fostering
a true people-first culture in your workplace means understanding the
individual goals of your team members and proactively helping them achieve
those goals.
You chose
your team because they are the best people for their jobs. Don't stunt their
potential by leaving them stagnant. Instead, show that you're just as
interested in helping them reach their goals as they are.
You can
show investment in your team members by prioritizing goal-setting and providing
learning opportunities. Encourage them to set at least one long-term goal, and
make yourself available to discuss their goals with them, especially if they're
unsure about what goals to set.
To
support them in achieving this goal, you can provide resources like leadership
training opportunities or time to meet with another manager at the company to
ask questions about the role.
Lean Tip
#3832 – Develop a Feedback-Based Culture
Good
communication is pivotal when developing a trust-based culture in your
workplace, and it goes both ways.
Not only
is it important to establish a feedback system that allows leaders to
communicate with employees, but there also needs to be a well-established
process for employees to give feedback to leaders.
Implementing
a defined system means setting clear expectations for when and how
communication occurs regarding performance feedback. This means employees won't
feel blindsided by receiving unexpected or unsolicited feedback from leaders,
and vice versa.
Further,
when systems exist for employees to offer feedback to management, it can make
them feel empowered and like their voice matters within the organization. This
continual feedback loop is great for creating meaningful bonds and building the
emotional trust.
Lean Tip
#3833 – Give Back With Recognition and Rewards
We all
like to be recognized for our strengths and the value we bring to our teams.
Recognizing positive workplace behaviors rewards employees who go above and
beyond, while encouraging others to follow their example.
Implementing
a praise or rewards system in your organization can be a great way to give back
to your employees. You might issue public praise for employees who exceed their
goals and use a reward system to incentivize your team to achieve.
Make sure
the criteria to qualify for these rewards are well-defined and all members of
your team can benefit. Giving all employees in your organization equal
opportunities to earn rewards for doing exceptional work is important for
maintaining fairness.
Lean Tip
#3834 – Empower Through Choices
To the
extent possible, give your employees autonomy to make meaningful choices
throughout the day. Micromanagement can make employees feel like you don't
trust them to make decisions on their own.
Over
time, it can wear employees down, damage workplace relationships, and even
promote a toxic work culture that ultimately hurts everyone. Remember, trust
goes both ways. You need to give it to earn it.
When you
trust your employees to make decisions for themselves, you show trust and
empower them to take initiative.
Trusting
the decision-making capabilities of your team encourages them to make
independent decisions that represent the best interests of themselves and the
company.
To
encourage autonomy, establish clear boundaries and expectations for your team.
Ensure that all team members understand their roles and responsibilities and
have well-defined production goals.
They’ll
find creative solutions to problems, improve workflows, and develop new
approaches to tasks that benefit the whole team.
Lean Tip
#3835 – Demonstrate Gratitude
A little
gratitude can go a long way. Find ways to show appreciation for your team
members regularly. Simple gestures like thanking your employees for the work
they do can build a more positive work environment.
Appreciation
can have widespread effects on team member attitudes, feelings of emotional
security, and trust in their supervisors.
For
example, you can write individualized thank-you cards for members you
supervise, distribute small rewards like snacks and gift cards, or simply send
a brief message of appreciation to each member of your team.
The key
is to be genuine and consistent. Don't save your praise for special occasions.
Make sure your team knows you recognize and value the work they do every day.
Lean Tip
#3836 – Build a Culture of Experimentation and Innovation
Create an
open and inclusive workplace where employees feel safe to take risks and share
their ideas. This doesn’t have to be a free for all; clear guidelines preserve
accountability and help team members understand where they can take risks most
effectively.
Trust is
a prerequisite for a culture of experimentation. You want the workforce to feel
safe raising ideas that could help the business while giving and receiving
constructive feedback alongside their colleagues.
Not every
idea will be explored further, and that’s OK. Give employees the opportunity to
refine their ideas and test them safely during the flow of work. Use these
experiments as a chance to learn and improve. Giving this type of autonomy
builds engagement and encourages innovation while reinforcing accountability.
Lean Tip
#3837 – Prioritize Performance Outcomes
When you
manage based on work outcomes, leaders can save time and encourage autonomy.
This starts by training managers to help employees set effective goals that
drive their performance and align with the business strategy.
Once
goals are set, employees need the right necessary resources and tools to
complete their tasks and make progress. Train managers to provide regular
feedback that helps employees measure progress and make adjustments, rather
than nitpicking or micromanaging them.
When
granting employees autonomy to work how they work best, promote transparency
through regular check-ins with managers. These conversations empower managers
to understand how their employees are doing, intervene when necessary, and
remove roadblocks.
Lean Tip
#3838 – Empower Decision-Making Authority
One way
to create collaboration and bottom-up innovation in your teams is by empowering
employees with decision-making authority. Because they aren’t looking to
leaders for all the answers, employees can think critically, suggest possible
solutions to workplace problems, and experiment with them.
Extend
this to daily tasks by letting employees exercise their judgment whenever
possible. You can still have rules, processes, and templates for how work is
best performed. But within those structures, encourage employees to identify
situations where a deviation from standard practice could be more effective.
Lean Tip
#3839 – Allow Employees to Manage their Own Workloads
Empower
employees to organize and prioritize their tasks, as they meet goals,
deadlines, and productivity levels. This autonomy can include the timing and
order of tasks, when to break down large tasks into components, and how to
allocate their time and resources.
When
managers give their reports freedom to manage their workload, they encourage
smart planning, time management, and ownership. As employees find a structure
and cadence that works for them, they become more engaged and productive. This
approach might even prevent employee burnout because workers are in charge of
how and when they work. This furthers the cycle of job satisfaction, pride, and
employer loyalty.
Lean Tip
#3840 – Reward Autonomous Work and Behaviors
Recognizing
and rewarding successful autonomous work and behaviors can provide a sense of
accomplishment for employees, as well as serve as an incentive for others.
Rewards can include bonuses and public and private recognition, depending on
the context and the employee’s preferences.
Employees
will repeat behaviors that they believe are valued by the organization. When HR
leaders recognize hard work, they also cultivate a culture that encourages
autonomy within the workplace.
