Human Beings

In 2015, a new manager supervising employees for the first time asked me for some advice on leadership. 

“Remember that every single person who works for you is a human being. They are not employees or robots. They are people who aspire, to their families, goals, and fears. Treat them like the human beings they are.”

That advice isn’t particular to her. She was an extremely caring and empathetic person. Most business schools and books miss the fundamental lesson. It’s the first and more important lesson anyone can learn when leading a team.

When I asked a team member, whose brother was a doctor at a county hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, how his brother was doing, I genuinely cared. If his situation was stressing him out or he was concerned, I needed to know so I could be a better leader. I was asking him to lead a team during the COVID-19 pandemic—how he was doing and how he felt mattered. It mattered how I led him and if he could lead his team through such a difficult time. Asking people to go to work when a virus rages worldwide is no easy task. Now account for the manager's family, the team's families, and the manager’s health. The stress and emotional toll are immense. To me, making a business decision without accounting for all those people is impossible.

One takeaway:

Treat everyone that works with you and for you as a human.