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Your success as a leader is dependent on the number of people who are willing to commit to following you. If nobody is ready to give his all to accomplishing your set objectives then you are not likely to record a major success.
It is said that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. This means that the degree to which people are willing to yield to one's leadership is directly proportional to the level of care they receive from the leader. This simply means that if you want strong followership then commit to building a reputation of a strong and caring leader.
How does a leader prove to his people that he truly cares about them? It's not as complicated as many people think. Care is very much perceivable. Care is proved not by words but by actions. The following are five actions that tell people you genuinely care about them:
Listening
Listening is about paying undivided attention to a person who is sharing information. It's beyond hearing the verbal content in the information but it is also about how much you can engage, connect and comprehend the message. Hearing with the heart is different from hearing from the ear. Simple things such as eye contact, attention to detail, and listening without interruption are a few things people associate and judge as a listener that truly cares. In listening you don't just listen to what is being verbally said but what is not being said also. A good listener listens to understand and not to spot something to reply. It takes a lot of patience to be effective at listening. When your people see how willing and patient you are to hear them out, it gives them the feeling that you are on their side. Listening often culminates in openness and healing which is the foundation for a healthier, emotional connection between team members and the leader as well.
Quality Time
Quality Time is all about giving your team a priority place in your time. It's beyond Spending fun time together. It's about creating time to talk about the concerns, challenges, strategies, and success of the team. The deep undivided time you spend together to dig down and reflect on issues, and contemplate strategy and other key issues is what is considered quality time. Giving your team enough quality time creates in them the impression that the only thing that truly matters to you the most is them and not the work.
Words of Affirmation
In every form of relationship, compliments are no-brainer ways to show care. Complements give people a sense of importance. People including your team members appreciate hearing explicitly what their leaders like most about them. When your team senses that you hold them in high esteems their confidence level will experience a big surge.
Acts of Support
Acts of support are expressed by going out of your way to offer help or do things together with your team members. Such support could just be your physical presence, personal participation, and giving your ideas on issues. Acts of support are about the everyday, nitty-gritty, input you make to lighten the burden, resolve the bottlenecks, and be willing to come down from the high horse to feel what they feel by doing things together with them. connecting with the team members and supporting them through difficult and scary moments, being present during the highs and lows of the journey is what people define as care.
Gifts and rewards
Rewards are a visual representation of the appreciation you have towards an outstanding effort and sacrifices of the team members. The rewards or gifts could take any form. It could be recognition, promotion, material gifts, or, cash. The gift itself does not matter, what matters the most is what the gift communicates to the team members. When team members perceive their leader as being generous with resources, and find value in spending money to create an atmosphere that promotes their comfort and group success they respond by falling behind the leader because they are convinced of his care.
Finally, people judge and respond to care in different ways. Find out how your team members understand and receive care then use that as a template for showing them care. It's important you speak their care language when you care otherwise it may be misinterpreted and it becomes a waste of time. People are willing to go to any length to contribute to the accomplishments of group goals when the members are deeply convinced of their leader's genuine care.
