Support: A Leadership Success Strategy

A manufacturing manager noticed one of his top employees had become withdrawn and was making mistakes. This was highly unusual. Instead of issuing a warning, he invited the employee into his office and asked, "How are you doing?"

The employee broke down. His wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and he was trying to balance hospital visits, work, and caring for his children.

Rather than disciplining him, the manager adjusted his schedule, arranged for coworkers to help cover shifts, and checked in regularly.

Months later, the employee returned to full performance. He stayed with the company for many years and eventually became a supervisor himself.

When asked why he'd never considered leaving, he said:

"Because when life fell apart, my boss saw me as a person before an employee.”

This is not just a “feel good” true story ~ it is a powerful demonstration of how kind leadership approaches can make all the difference for a company. 

Let’s break it down.

First of all, the manager was aware enough of his employee to notice when he was not being himself at the office. He knew when the employee’s work level was declining and he wasn’t being himself. 

How well do you know the people who work for you?

Next, the manager did not jump into disciplinary action, even though it sounded like that would have been justified or even expected. Instead, he invited the gentleman to meet with him to talk about what he was noticing and check on his wellbeing. 

Third, the manager created a safe space for the employee to be honest about what he was going through and get emotional while doing so without shame or punishment. 

Fourth, the manager took immediate and intentional action to support the employee in this crisis, engaging team members in the process to cover the needs of the company at the same time. (This models to everyone that humanity is a part of the company culture.) 

Fifth, the manager kept checking up on this employee, asking him how things were going, could he do anything to further support him and his family, etc. This level of compassion and interest in the employee as a person not only felt good, it also likely solidified his commitment to the company. 

I would guess it wasn’t always easy to juggle the responsibilities of this employee amongst the other team members. Covering additional shifts was probably at times very stressful for them as well. 

However, it was a temporary response when an employee desperately needed to be seen, heard, and understood. 

The costs if he would have been fired or quit would have been far more stressful and expensive to this company than the adjustments made to give him some grace. 

Knowing that flexibility and greater teamwork would be possible if any of the other team members needed it someday also created a greater sense of security and appreciation for everyone. 

Nothing negative develops from approaching your employees as people first and remembering they have lives outside the office that come with them every single day. 

Life can be messy for all of us. When you are a leader that accepts this and does everything in your power to support people through theirs, you will feel better and the results will speak for themselves.