As leaders, our ability to create a positive work environment is essential to getting the most out of our teams. We want our employees to feel empowered to learn, grow, make tough decisions - and even make mistakes. 

But how can you create this kind of culture? The way you interact and communicate with your people is key.

A former client of mine, let’s call him Sean, truly exemplified this concept. Sean’s job was to lead specialized manufacturing and construction projects. He had been in the field for years, and was very good at what he did.

However, Sean was a driven individual with extremely exacting standards. These characteristics could cause him to come across as intense and scary at times, but that was never his intention. He wanted to treat his people well. He wanted to be a servant leader to them.

One day, when his team was operating large machinery, he noticed that a new employee wasn’t using the correct hand signals. His errors were causing confusion among the rest of the team.

The situation was very dangerous, so Sean yelled at him and pulled him out of his seat and took over in his place - not because he wanted to make him feel bad, but because someone could have been hurt or killed. He did it to drive home the importance of safety. He wanted to keep his people safe. 

A couple of hours later, Sean told the employee, “You are my brother. I’ve got your back. I know you didn’t mean to do that, and I only jumped in because it was unsafe. I’m not mad at you. I need you to not carry this [with you moving forward].”

During my discussion with Sean, he referred to his approach as “compression and compassion.” In other words, sometimes you need to apply some pressure on your team to shake them up a bit while also showing compassion towards them as people.

Of course, there are also times when it’s better to calm things down and boost your people up to create a positive and empowering working environment. 

As leaders, it is our job to figure out when it’s time for each approach.

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About The Author

Emily Sander is an ICF-certified leadership coach with more than 15 years of experience in the business world and the author of Hacking Executive Leadership. She’s been featured in several print publications, online articles, and podcasts, including CEO Today Magazine, Leading to Fulfillment, and Leadership Powered by Common Sense. 

Emily has a passion for helping business leaders reach their full potential. Go here to read her story from seasoned executive to knowledgeable coach. If you want to send Emily a quick message, then visit her contact page here.