Actively seeking ideas, concerns, and feedback from team members before decisions are made — ensuring everyone feels heard and valued.
Mayo Clinic research shows that teams whose leaders regularly solicit input report 31% higher engagement and significantly lower intention to leave.
Proactively sharing relevant information with the team — about organizational changes, priorities, and context — so no one is operating in the dark.
Studies show information asymmetry is among the top 3 drivers of employee distrust. Teams with high information transparency report 40% lower burnout scores.
Delegating meaningful authority, trusting team members to own their work, and removing obstacles rather than micromanaging outcomes.
Self-Determination Theory shows autonomy is a fundamental psychological need. Leaders who empower report 2.4x higher team creativity and 28% reduction in burnout risk.
Consistently acknowledging individual and team efforts — both publicly and privately — in ways that feel genuine and specific to each person's work.
Recognition is the single highest-ROI leadership behavior. Teams with high recognition report 3x lower burnout and 50% higher retention within 12 months (Gallup, 2022).
Monitoring and balancing team workload so that demands stay sustainable — identifying overload early and taking action to address capacity gaps.
Chronic overload is the primary driver of burnout (Maslach & Leiter). Leaders who actively manage workload see 45% lower medical leave incidence and 60% lower burnout severity.
Nominate a leader and/or organization that you feel consistently leads with kindness, or, when you're ready, as part of the kindness journey you can take the full Workplace Kindness Assessment for a comprehensive, category-by-category evaluation across 8 dimensions of workplace kindness.
