Supporting Employees for Success
Cathie Leimbach • October 27, 2023
Communicating your expectations to employees and ensuring they understand what you want them to achieve are not enough for them to succeed in your organization. Managers and supervisors in highly effective organizations often spend half of their work week supporting their employees.
- Be Consistent: Consistency in your messaging and expectations is crucial. Ensure that your team always receives the same message from you and understands what is expected of them.
- Encourage Feedback: Create an open and transparent communication environment where team members can ask questions, seek clarification, and provide input. This fosters a sense of ownership and engagement.
- Monitor Progress: Regularly review and assess progress toward the desired results. Adjust your approach as needed and celebrate milestones to maintain motivation.
- Provide Support: Offer the necessary resources, training, and support to help your team achieve the results. Address any obstacles or challenges that may arise.
- Lead by Example: Demonstrate the behavior and work ethic you expect from your team. Your actions should align with your words and goals.
- Acknowledge and Reward: Recognize and reward team members for their efforts and achievements. Positive reinforcement can boost morale and motivation.
- Be Patient and Persistent: Understand that achieving significant results may take time. Stay committed to the vision, and don't be discouraged by setbacks.
- Adapt and Learn: Be open to feedback and be willing to adapt your goals and strategies if necessary. Learning from mistakes and evolving is a sign of effective leadership.
Supporting one’s direct reports for success means serving their needs as they endeavor to meet workplace expectations. This includes reinforcing expectations, being available for two-way conversations, giving employees feedback about what they are doing well and support to be more effective in weak areas, and genuinely caring about your team members as valuable human beings.
What is one aspect of supporting your employees that you are doing well? What is one aspect that is a growth area for you to enhance employee and organizational success?
Most workplace tension doesn't come from major conflicts. It comes from too few conversations. A disappointment that was never discussed. A broken agreement that was never repaired. Appreciation that was never expressed. Over time, these "withholds" create friction that slows collaboration, weakens trust, and makes even simple conversations feel difficult. The strongest teams don't avoid tension—they address it early. Research highlighted in a recent McKinsey article found that unresolved tensions can significantly reduce team effectiveness, while high-trust teams consistently outperform their peers. The difference isn't the absence of problems. It's the willingness to talk about them. One of the most practical leadership habits is creating regular opportunities for transparent interaction. That includes appreciation. People should hear what they're doing well far more often than they hear about their shortfalls. Specific, genuine recognition builds trust over time. Those trust deposits matter because once positive relationships are built, difficult conversation are more likely to accept the message . When correction is needed, reinforce that you value the person, even though they aren’t perfect. The goal is growth, not judgment. But leaders should be careful not to make appreciation transactional. If positive feedback has been absent for months, suddenly offering praise immediately before a critique usually feels insincere. Trust is built through a steady pattern of recognition, encouragement, and honest conversation—not a last-minute compliment. Transparent leaders also address issues early. Small frustrations become large resentments when left unresolved. Teams that clear the air quickly spend less energy managing tension and more energy producing results. The result? Less friction. More trust. Stronger relationships. Better performance. Because healthy conversations don't just solve problems—they strengthen the team. Free Leader Guide: 5 Practices for Trust-Building Conversations The best leaders don't wait for tension to become conflict. They build trust before it's needed. Download our 5 Practices for Trust-Building Conversations guide to learn practical ways to strengthen relationships, reduce friction, and create a culture where honest conversations lead to better performance. Download the guide and start building trust one conversation at a time.
Most leaders say they want employees to speak up. They want people who spot risks, question assumptions, and help the organization make better decisions. Yet many employees hesitate to do exactly that. Why? Because leaders often respond to speaking up as if the speaker is complaining, criticizing or resisting. When people fear being viewed as difficult, they stop sharing what they see. The organization loses valuable information, ideas, and perspectives. A recent McKinsey article found that teams with high psychological safety are two to three times more likely to generate breakthrough ideas. When people feel safe speaking up, better thinking follows. The best leaders understand a simple truth: Speaking up is not defiance. It's duty. When employees question assumptions, raise concerns, or offer a different perspective, they are helping the team avoid blind spots and make stronger decisions. That's why effective leaders don't merely tolerate speaking up—they invite it. They ask: What are we not seeing? What assumptions are we making? Who might see this differently? What information are we missing? Just as importantly, they respond with curiosity instead of defensiveness. They thank people for expressing their perspective. They explain how input influenced decisions. They make speaking up safe. Because organizations don't improve when everyone agrees. They improve when people feel responsible for helping the team see what others may have missed. In healthy organizations, speaking up isn't rebellion. It's responsibility. It's duty. Leadership Reflection Think about your last leadership team meeting. Did people simply agree? Or did someone help the team see something it otherwise would have missed? Download 5 Questions That Surface Better Thinking and make speaking up a productive part of how your team thinks, decides, and performs.