Carrots and Sticks Don't Work: Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles of RESPECT

CHAPTER 10Consideration

“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

—John Maxwell

Showing consideration to employees is one of the quickest, easiest, and most effective ways to increase employee engagement. Consideration refers to giving careful thought to a person or idea and is demonstrated through one’s words, decisions, and actions. People differ considerably in their ability to be considerate, which requires empathy and an understanding that others have feelings, needs, and beliefs separate from one’s own. While empathy is perhaps the most critical innate skill for a leader to possess, it is nearly impossible to teach, since it is so closely tied to personality. Moreover, those who lack empathy typically dismiss ...