What is one thing you do with your employees to convey to them that you are a thoughtful leader?
1. Think first about my actions
The thoughtfulness of your leadership will be evident in your everyday decision-making. Taking actions specifically to convey how thoughtful you are is not genuine and will largely be read as such. — Brennan White, Watchtower
2. Listen to them
I listen to as many perspectives as my employees can contribute before making decisions. The first step in being thoughtful is having the right data and feedback. — Phil Chen, Givit
3. Lead with love
Leading with love is a principle that RTC put into action last year, and it now defines us as an organization. Conflict is bound to rise in a young organization, and leading with love and kindness in all facets of communication has permeated our culture. When staff see leadership leading with love on a daily basis, they recognize it quickly and value that the company sees them as human beings. — Corey Blake, Round Table Companies
4. Ask for feedback
We regularly ask for feedback on team events, perks, processes and general happiness and productivity. TINYpulse, a tool that helps us survey employees weekly, has helped me collect feedback, and the results have been eye-opening. It’s not enough to ask for feedback; you also need to implement the common themes of feedback to truly show you’re being thoughtful. — Bhavin Parikh, Magoosh Inc.
5. Keep my door open
I let our employees know that my door is always open, and I follow through on this — no matter the topic at hand. I also strive to be as clear and transparent in my communication and actions as I possibly can. — Bobby Grajewski, Edison Nation Medical
6. Encourage them to further their education
For both personal and business reasons, we encourage our employees to further develop their knowledge and skills. We also ask them to stay current with the latest in their field. We dedicate both time and resources to ensuring our employees are able to stay ahead of the curve. — Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.net
7. Share my thoughts
I try to share what’s making me think about the business differently with my team by sending articles to certain people in the company who I think would be interested, or by sharing articles and information with the whole team and pointing out the reason I shared them. I hope it shows my team that I’m always trying to learn as much as I can, and I relate it back to helping University Parent. — Sarah Schupp, UniversityParent
8. Spend time with them
I think it’s important to spend time with them outside of work. In fact, one way to do that is to let them leave a little early on Friday and take them all to happy hour. You don’t want to be “boss man” all the time; make them respect you as a person as well to gain true loyalty. — Russ Oja, Seattle Windows and Construction, LLC)
9. Create a family atmosphere
We treat our staff like family and strive to create a family atmosphere. Our people our very important to us, and we want them to be treated well and enjoy their time at the office. Because they have to spend the majority of their lives there, we think it’s extremely important to create an atmosphere conducive to success. — Joseph P. DeWoody, Clear Fork Royalty
10. Share my office space
My office space is no different than anyone else’s. There are no dividers, walls or doors. Everyone has the same type of setup. I’m right on the same floor as everyone else. This allows me to have a great understanding of the day-to-day activities. — Michael Quinn, Yellow Bridge Interactive
11. Instill confidence
Determine what types of situations and responsibilities trigger stress for your employees. Providing them with the tools, information, recognition and ultimately confidence they need to perform well under stress will not only earn you the respect that comes along with being a thoughtful leader, it will help you manage more effectively. — Katie Finnegan, Hukkster
12. Nourish their aspirations
My business was born from my personal set of aspirations and values. I want every team member to have that same opportunity. We have a series of exercises that help them understand their personal values, aspirations and how we can align our work together to help them meet both personal and professional goals. — Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, Reliance Methods
13. Hold daily all-hands meetings
I lead a daily, 15-minute all-hands meeting during which the entire team goes over “stucks” (issues that are significant to the entire company), learnings and good things in our personal and professional lives. These meetings ensure that we are all transparent with one another and that everyone has the chance to share his thoughts, questions and concerns with management on a daily basis. — Rob Emrich, PaeDae