Do you care about me? This is what people want to know when they work for you. They may not say it directly, but it is the core question that defines the relationship between you and the people you lead. When people believe the answer is “yes,” they will be more committed to their work and to you. But when they think the answer is “no,” their commitment to their job and their loyalty to you will suffer. To be a leader means getting results. But when the drive for results monopolizes a leader’s attention, people become the lesser priority.

When a leader cares more about the “ends” (results) and less about the “means” (people), he becomes susceptible to treating people like objects. You’ll hear it in the language. He’ll refer to people as “resources,” as if they were interchangeable parts sitting on a machinery shelf. He’ll stress the importance of resource planning to manage the budget and schedule. He’ll plead with his bosses for more resources to enlarge the capacity of his department. The leader is the machinist, and his resources are his machine parts.

What does it mean to Care?

So what does caring look like? When you care about people, you take an interest in their career aspirations. You seek and value their opinions. You appreciate that each person has a life outside the office that impacts how they perform inside the office. You know that people aren’t just “resources”; they are the coach of a local soccer team, a lay minister at the church, an active alumna at the state college, or a husband whose wife just died after a long battle with breast cancer, and a father to three heartbroken kids.

Answering “yes” to the core do-you-care-about-me question means taking a deep and genuine interest in those you are leading. Caring, in this sense, is obliging. When you care about people, you give them more of your time, attention, and active support. A wise leader treats people as more important than results, because strong people produce those results. Period.

Open Your Heart and Others Will Care for You

As a practical matter, it’s a good idea to care about your people. When they know you care about them, they will care about you and your success. In fact, you’ll know that you’re truly a leader who cares when the people you lead start seeking and valuing your input, when they take an interest in your career aspirations, and when they are actively supportive of you. And when your people care about you, they’ll help you get better results.

The people you lead need to see that behind whatever shell you portray lives an imperfect being just like them. They need to know that, despite whatever successes you’ve achieved, whatever power you’ve amassed, and whatever perks you get, you’re still “real.” They want to know that, however big your britches are, you still have a sympathetic heart that they will always be able to reach. As long as people know that you have a good and open heart, they will let you push them, give them tough feedback, and ask them to do more. Power works best when it’s anchored in humility.

The Risk when you Open Your Heart

When relationships become more personal, people usually care more. For a leader, that caring comes with a risk. When you care about people, you become more sensitive to their needs and their interests and opinions become harder to dismiss or ignore. Real relationships are obliging. Some leaders fear that by caring for others, they’ll lose objectivity or independence and be taken advantage of in the process. These risks do exist, but the danger is greater if a leader is remote, aloof, and rigid. When you’re as accessible as a stone obelisk, your people will secretly wish for your failure.

So, next time you work alongside those you lead, ask yourself: “Do they know (not just hope) that you genuinely care about them?

Want to learn more about creating a caring and fostering workplace? Check out these related posts:

Coaching with Courage: Best Practices for Unlocking Growth.Love Business, Lead Better

Image by Addi Gibson from  Pixabay

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