“People Don’t Leave Jobs, They Leave Managers”
That’s a common knowledge to most managers, or even non-managers. In fact, Gallup’s research shows that 70% of variance in Employee Engagement is attributed to the managers. And one of the elements for increasing engagement is for managers to demonstrate to their people that they truly care. While this is common knowledge, it seems that not many people are able to do it well.
If you are a manager, or leading a group of people, here are some tips on how to do them well
Be Authentic
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
– Abraham Lincoln
Some people try to fake care and concern for others. But if it isn’t genuine, it will eventually show. As people generally like people who are like themselves, one way is to really start getting to know people in your team; They do not need to be your best friends, but having a good relationship with the team helps to build trust. As you get to know your team more and more, chances are you will develop more genuine concern for them.
For those whom you really don’t care about, think about getting a partner who does care about the person. Or if you truly do not care for most of the people, you may need to consider if management is a suitable role for you.
Be Obvious
Better is open rebuke, than hidden love.
– Proverbs 27:5
Demonstrate in clear ways to people that you care. Care for others must be communicated and not hidden. Make a decision right now to take action in demonstrating that you care for your people.
Be Personalised
Reverse the Golden rule – “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them”
– Tom Rath
Don’t assume that everyone feels appreciated in the same way. One of the best ways to demonstrate that you care for them is to ask them how they want to feel appreciated. This can feel somewhat “forced” at the start, but if you show that you actually take action based on what your people tell you, they will know that you truly do care and become more open towards you. If you are trying to get a handle on how to be personalised, here are some ways to approach this.
- 5 Languages of Appreciation
According to the research of Gary Chapman, there are five ways that people feel loved (or appreciated)
Acts of Service, Physical Touch, Gifts, Quality Time, Words of Affirmation.When we demonstrate appreciation in our people’s love language, they will more likely to feel it. - Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0
This profiling tools identifies a person’s talent – Recurring Pattern of Thinking, Feeling, or Behaving. Because this is so specific, it allows us to really understand where a person is coming from, and even their motivators and values. For example, the person with the Empathy Talent Theme will know that you care when you take time to listen to the feelings of people, the person with the Command Talent Theme will feel appreciated when you put him in charge or something, the person with the Responsibility Talent Theme will feel appreciated when you take time to commend on a job well done.
Be Consistent
Consistency leads to trust, and trust is the foundation of caring. Therefore, make caring for others a habit. According to Stephen R. Covey, author of “7 Habits of Highlight Effective People”, 3 things must happen to form a habit
- You must know what to do
- You must know how to do it
- You must want to do it
You now know what to do, and have an idea of how to do it, you must now want to do it. The question is why would you want to do it?
Some of the reasons why you might want it are:
- It increases performance and engagement of the team
- It creates a more friendly and cohesive environment
- It reduces attrition and disruption
- It makes you a better leader
But truly, you have to really find the why within yourself. Now take the time to ask yourself these questions
- What do you care for the people you are working with?
- How would each person feel appreciated or cared for?
- What would you do specifically, and how frequently?
