B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Federal Election
  • AFL
  • Pinterest
  • AI
  • News Corp
  • NRL
  • Cairns Hatchlings
  • Married At First Sight
  • Channel 10
  • oOh!Media
  • Thinkerbell
  • WPP
  • Anthony Albanese
  • ARN
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: Why Caring About People Should Be At The Heart Of Leadership
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Opinion > Why Caring About People Should Be At The Heart Of Leadership
Opinion

Why Caring About People Should Be At The Heart Of Leadership

Staff Writers
Published on: 4th October 2018 at 5:29 PM
Staff Writers
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

Dr Karen Morley (pictured below) is a leadership specialist and author of Lead like a Coach and Gender Balanced Leadership: An Executive Guide.

In this guest post, the goodly doctor talks the massive benefits to any organisation when people feel cared for…

The demands of leadership continue to increase in pace and complexity. Leaders have to care about more things than ever before. Why should caring about people be elevated to leaders’ number one concern?

Karen Morley lifestyle

Under the pressure of escalating demands, most leaders adopt a command-and-control style of leadership with their teams, according to Nink and Robison from Gallup. They don’t delegate enough, they overwork and end up feeling overburdened. Teams disengage. Leaders and their teams end up producing less, while also jeopardising everyone’s wellbeing and increasing the risk of burn-out.

Leaders who put caring about their people at the heart of their leadership take a different approach. They focus on the team and how the team can be supported to produce results. Rather than increasing control, they care for their team by adopting a coaching style.

Caring leaders cultivate trust with their people by supporting and developing them. They readily delegate work and responsibility. They do what they can to equip team members to do their best work. Not only does more and better-quality work get done, this also has the enormous benefit of relieving the pressure on leaders.

Coaching conveys benevolence; it signals genuine care and support. The more people experience their leader as someone who is caring and supportive, the deeper the trust. Through coaching, team members provide input and suggestions and this helps them to feel valued and appreciated.

Only about one-fifth of people feel that they get feedback from their boss that helps them to do better work. About the same proportion feel they are managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. The care factor is noticeably absent. When people perceive their leaders to be benevolent, they are more likely to reciprocate. They work harder for longer and are more likely to go above and beyond what’s required.

On a practical level, care means learning and development. This translates into regular coaching conversations between managers and their teams. Frequent on-the-job coaching will do more to build a learning culture than anything else. For leaders, this means genuinely asking people how they are going and finding out what support they need. Managers are less focused on the task and what has been done because it is only part of the picture.

With a coaching mindset, the focus is to enable the team and each member to grow to full potential. When you put care at the heart of leadership, that’s the most important contribution.

To be a leader who cares, begin by understand the motivations, emotions and interests of your people. Having this understanding means you can align their and your needs more readily. Next, make sure you manage your own emotions. As leader, your mood is highly contagious. A calm, positive emotional state helps your team to feel positive and it will also increase performance.

There’s no substitute for empathy; so also make sure you create a warm, human connection. People will support and reciprocate your care when they like you and enjoy interacting with you. Finally, provide a sense of control through choice. Choice is rewarding. Giving people responsibility and reminding them they have a choice increases their wellbeing.

Coaching focuses on each team member’s needs, interests, suggestions and development.  It comes from a place of genuine inquiry. It helps them to feel valued and appreciated. When you care for your team members, they know. When they know you care, they care more about their work and satisfaction and productivity thrives.

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: Dr Karen Morley
Share
Staff Writers
By Staff Writers
Follow:
Staff Writers represent B&T's team of award-winning reporters. Here, you'll find articles crafted with industry experience spanning over 50 years. Our team of specialists brings together a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to delivering insightful, topical, and breaking news. With a deep understanding of advertising and media, our Staff Writers are dedicated to providing industry-leading analysis and reporting, both shaping the conversation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

Latest News

Lotterywest & 303 MullenLowe Launch ‘Long Live Saturday’ Brand Platform
23/05/2025
WPP Retains Global Coca-Cola Account After Losing North America To Publicis
23/05/2025
Victoria Bitter & Akcelo Turn Up The State Of Origin Rivalry With ‘Very Bitter Tissues’
23/05/2025
WNBL Unveils Bold & Powerful New Era Of Women’s Basketball
23/05/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?