Heather Younger, Founder and CEO of Employee Fanatix, a leading employee engagement and leadership development consulting and training firm, has earned her moniker as The Employee Whisperer.
A best-selling author, speaker, consultant, adjunct organizational leadership professor, and facilitator, Heather is dedicated to helping her clients create cultures of listening at work where every employee feels valued and like they belong. She founded Employee Fanatix to inspire others by teaching the kind of caring leadership that drives real business results. As she says, “If your people know you care about them, they will move mountains.”
Heather Younger
Rebecca Bonner
In Heather’s latest book, The Art of Caring Leadership: How Leading With Heart Uplifts Teams and Organizations, she outlines nine key ways that leaders can ensure all those they lead feel included and cared for.
Why is this important? Aside from being a more caring leader just being the right thing to do, then employees feel cared for and part of a team, they are happier and more productive, which will positively impact your bottom line. .
A few tips from Heather’s book are as follows:
Look for greatness in those you lead
Good leaders understand the importance of recognizing and growing the talents of their employees. Instead of ignoring what makes your employees great, caring leaders mentor those employees and help them build on their strengths – always seeking to understand how they can help those they lead become better team members.
Involve your team in problem solving
Rather than trying to resolve problems on their own, caring leaders recognize that there are other team members who might have valuable insights to contribute. When team members are involved in the issues and problems that a company is facing, it provides an opportunity for a fresh perspective, and allows employees to contribute and feel part of the team.
Provide employees with safe spaces
When employees feel they are safe to express their true thought and ideas, they can express themselves freely – without a fear of retribution. Caring leaders create safe spaces free of judgment where employees can have safe conversations and not be exposed to microaggressions.
Empower those you lead to make decisions
Nobody likes to be micromanaged when working. Micromanagement makes it difficult for employees to think and act independently. Rather than micromanage, caring leaders offer clear expectations that help employees feel empowered. Caring leaders also know to leave room for mistakes, because they know these present the best opportunities to learn and grow .
The ROI of caring leadership
There is a direct correlation between the treatment of employees and their productivity. Employees that feel valued have reduced absenteeism, there is a lower attrition rate, less time and money is spent retraining employees, and the list goes on. When employees are happy and serving their customers, customers are grateful for the great service provided and will likely return to your business. But when an employee leaves your company, their company knowledge leaves with them. It can take years for a new employee to gain that knowledge.
Lower attrition rates and employee retention are always favorable for a company’s bottom line, which is why it really does pay to tune into the needs of your employees by doing what it takes to become a more caring leader.
