"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." — John Quincy Adams
The third behavior in Google's Project Oxygen is one of the most human on the list: create an inclusive environment and show genuine concern for your team's success and well-being. Google's research found that leaders who do this are meaningfully more likely to have an energized, engaged team.
It sounds soft. It isn't. Showing your people you value them — through words and actions — is foundational to motivating, engaging, and retaining them. As Jack Welch put it, "Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others."
So what does a caring manager actually do? Here are five traits we see consistently.
1. They communicate their feelings.
People are not mind readers. A surprising number of leaders genuinely care about their people — and never say so. Deadlines and meetings crowd it out. But your team needs to hear it: "I care about how this goes for you." That plain statement changes attitudes, engagement, and productivity more than most leaders expect.
2. They ask about the future.
Most of your people want to grow. Ask where and how. When you understand someone's ambitions, you can prepare them for the next level — through feedback, stretch opportunities, and training. The payoff for you: better-trained, more motivated people with a positive vision of where they're headed.
3. They ask meaningful questions.
If you're paying attention, you know what matters to your people — the golf game, the kids, the alma mater, the rescue dog. Most people have something behind their answer to "How are you?" that opens a deeper conversation. Listening, being present, and remembering what matters leaves employees with a profound sense that you see them as whole people, not just assets.
4. They ask about roadblocks.
Asking "What's getting in your way?" opens the door to honest conversation. Some people know exactly what their obstacles are but lack the resources to move them. Acting as a coach, you can help them think creatively about turning roadblocks into opportunities.
5. They keep offering challenges.
Then there are the rock stars — early reports, polished presentations, effortless-looking wins. It's tempting to leave them alone. But unchallenged talent gets bored or overconfident. Keep stretching them. Acknowledge their skills, express confidence in their growth, and give them something bigger to reach for.
The Common Thread
Every one of these traits is a form of paying attention. Caring leadership isn't about grand gestures — it's about consistently signaling, through small and specific acts, that the person in front of you matters.
Try this today: pick one person on your team and ask them a genuine question about something you know they care about. Then listen without steering the conversation back to work.