A client of mine had been fired by his Board last year for reasons he didn’t understand until we worked together for several months. After looking it all over, she and I discovered that she had emphasized staff performance and productivity to the point of not demonstrating a personal investment in them as human beings. Did the end work? Some of her employees turned against her. They approached board members behind her back, shattered her credibility as her executive, and finally watched her pack up her desk. Apparently, they felt no remorse for her actions, which they believed to be justified. They felt betrayed, used and abused. Had these people exercised a good process for dealing with a situation they felt they could not live with? Absolutely not. Working on the Board undercover is never a smart move, except perhaps in cases of proven theft or sexual harassment. But this is what they did, and a committed, intelligent, sensitive, and highly-skilled boss lost her job. A female boss who might have come out if the chairman of the board had been honest with her…

My client tends to be a results manager type. This is how she is connected. However, that is not enough to survive and thrive in a leadership capacity. It is not enough to expect staff members to get the job done every week and not worry about what is needed of them to make it happen. Not worrying about, and showing interest in, the fact that someone’s husband just died, his grandmother is sick, his son is manic-depressive, he recently received a breast cancer diagnosis, or he is really tired today. It is simply not enough to focus on numbers and results. Credible management requires a comprehensive and holistic approach that combines an entrepreneurial mindset and a very soft heart. it’s an art

What does this type of care look like in the work environment? First let’s make it clear that caring is NOT letting employees get away with missing an important deadline, failing to deliver on the quality of a project, treating a colleague poorly, or offering a bunch of excuses for ignoring something for which they are responsible. Caring is not about accepting what should not be tolerated. It’s not about relaxing standards. It’s not about turning your head when you know someone is doing something wrong or ineptly. Care in the workplace has sharp vision. See things as they are, but at the same time use a lens of compassion. So you act within that realm of compassion, and still do what must be done, however difficult or inconvenient.

The following are examples of possible faces of care in the workplace:

1. Stopping briefly in the middle of a busy day to ask about the progress of someone’s sick child.

This type of conversation, perhaps only three minutes long, shows that you, as a manager, are interested in the feelings and well-being of that staff member. Clients sometimes tell me they don’t have time for this kind of thing. My answer is that you can’t afford not to take the time. We are not talking about spending half an hour on the subject. We’re talking about briefly demonstrating your humanity to a fellow human who is worried, tired, and temporarily overwhelmed. At that time you are not the boss and she is not your subordinate. You two are just partners traveling through a life that frequently throws curveballs that no one counts on. When you take the time to enter into these conversations, you show strength, not weakness.

2. Give praise on the spot

The fact is that all people crave praise. There are no exceptions. People need it to keep going, keep giving, keep growing. People dry up without it. Waiting to praise an employee during their annual appraisal six months from now is inappropriate behavior on their part. Do it now. Don’t delay. Talk to that individual at the first opportunity of hers. Write a quick email. Leave a phone message. Would you wait six months or even six days to praise your five-year-old for doing a chore you didn’t expect him to do? Hardly. How ridiculous! Compliments are most meaningful when delivered spontaneously at the right time, regardless of the person’s age. If you find yourself receiving compliments from staff, look within and ask yourself why. It is not healthy for you or your employees. What do you have to do to overcome this less than desirable trait?

3. Ask someone’s opinion

People love to be asked what they think about things. And you? Make this a regular habit when you meet formally with staff, walk around the physical environment, and have lunch with a small group. Show that you care about the ideas and beliefs of others. It shows that you are not narcissistic enough to “buy” that only you have the right answers to problems. It shows that you are open to getting a lot of input from a lot of different sources. Most employees respond very favorably to this type of management style. Use it daily. Every time you ask a person what they think, you communicate that you value them: their abilities, their creativity, their perceptions of them. It’s actually a way to pay big compliments to your staff.

4. Take ten minutes to really listen.

When you learn that one of your loved ones is struggling with a big problem at home, invite them to talk candidly about it behind closed doors. Why? There are multiple benefits to doing so. First, you show empathy. Second, you give him a chance to release some of the pressure cooker feeling he’s bottling up. Third, she leaves feeling heard. Fourth, it is likely that she would end up being more productive at work than she was if she pretended the situation wasn’t happening and left you out of it. Again, clients often tell me that they don’t have time to listen, to let go of their daily responsibilities. Know without a doubt that this is also part of your responsibility. As a manager, you have an obligation to show empathy when required, and you have a duty to do whatever is necessary to move the employee to a new location so that she can continue to work effectively. If she doesn’t, you lose, she loses, and the company as a whole loses.

5. Make eye contact

When you talk to people, look them directly in the eye. We are not promoting staring and making the other person uncomfortable. We are simply saying that you need to look directly at people so that they feel valued and heard. Focus on that individual as if she were the only person in the world at that very moment. When you let your eyes roam the room or look at the floor, you subtly communicate a lack of interest, a lack of seriousness, or even a lack of respect for the person. That kind of behavior is a turn off to others. Consider how you feel when someone averts your eyes during a conversation. You get the feeling that he doesn’t really care what you have to say, right? Is that the message you want to convey to his staff?

6. Build someone’s self-confidence

This can be accomplished in many ways. Think both inside and outside the box. Let people know that you think they can do the task or project. Tell them they are on the right track. Let them know that you implemented their ideas. Send them an email explaining how they made you shine in front of your own boss and how that made you feel. Let them know that you absolutely trust them to carry on in your two-day absence. Things like this. Incorporate them into your daily routine. Do you feel uncomfortable doing it? Why? Don’t you appreciate when people encourage you, believe in you, encourage you, congratulate you? Make an honest assessment and make sure that you are not a person who wants trust-building efforts to flow only in your direction.

7. Carrying out cultural assessments and/or staff satisfaction surveys

Whether you have money to spend externally or are in the position of having to manage it internally, be sure to integrate one or both on an annual basis. Don’t assume you fully understand your organization’s culture. Remember that your lens is limited. Look for that unfiltered view. This takes some courage, but you should do it unless you really want to walk in a comfortable mist. Walking in a delusional fog is not what you, as a manager, are paid to do. So get out of that comfort zone. Take a chance on finding out how your people really feel about you, the organization, the environment, each other. You can’t fix something you don’t know is broken, tarnished, less than satisfactory. Be sure to use a process that protects people’s anonymity and encourages their candor, especially if you’re trying to do it yourself. Ending up with a fluff that isn’t helpful and just makes you feel good defeats the purpose of the entire exercise. Well done survey and evaluation results can make you squirm here and there. But they are a great springboard for growth.

8. Provide opportunities for staff to improve their health

This might mean letting employees leave an hour early once a week for a nutrition class, exercise program, or other fitness initiative. It can mean rewarding people for losing weight over a certain period of time. It could mean treating staff to a healthy and delicious lunch once a month. It could mean offering smoking cessation classes. Maybe it means opening an on-site gym or providing benefit dollars for an established community program. Be creative. Get information from the staff. See what ideas they generate. If you have their buy-in, you are more likely to see positive behaviors and positive results. Having healthier employees is a huge win for you and the organization, as well as for them as individuals. Don’t underestimate the value here.

Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, once said that managers should be tough on business but soft on people. He’s probably already focused enough on getting the job done; maybe it’s time to focus on developing ways that you can show your staff that you really care about each one of them.