Caring

I’ve seen folks in leadership roles who seem to feel that they must put on the armor of “not caring” in order to be a strong leader.  They feel that knowing the troops too well, or having too close relationships with them, somehow compromises their ability to make the hard decisions.  

I don’t think so.  In fact, I believe developing strong and positive relationships with membership throughout the organization is critical to being an effective leader.  

Here are some reasons why: 

• Richer insight into unique performance
• More honest feedback loops
• Better employee effort
• Deeper understanding of skills sets and job “fit”
• Stronger organizational culture

Finally, caring almost always begets caring in return.  

Which of us doesn't need that?