Being a Caring Manager: Do's and Don'ts

Do:

  • show you're interested in both the work and home lives of the people who report to you
  • ask about personal and career plans and hopes for the future
  • be aware of your direct reports' concerns and what motivates them
  • give your people your full attention
  • listen to their personal problems to an appropriate degree
  • be aware of their work situations and their efforts


Don't:

  • be so focused on tasks that you have no time for your employees
  • try to keep work and personal life completely separate
  • get too deeply involved in the personal lives of your direct reports
  • overuse your caring skills to the point where you have difficulty being firm when you need to be
  • lose your objectivity on performance and potential
  • fail to sufficiently challenge your direct reports
  • fail to notice when your caring efforts are not wanted