Know your people and look out for their welfare

"No one cares how much you know until they first know how much you care," as the saying goes. Being a technical expert can help you become a more influential leader or manager—people like to follow people who know what they're talking about. However, if you want to motivate people in the long run, if you want people to follow you because they truly want to, you must go deeper. People need to know that you care about them and are looking out for them.

First, whether we actively consider it or not, we form beliefs about how much our organizations value what we do and care about our well-being. Consider this in relation to your workplace for a moment. My guess is that it doesn't take long for you to form an opinion about how much the organization values your contributions—your actual work—and cares about you as a person.

Second, we are more or less willing to trade our effort and dedication to the organization based on these perceptions. If you believe your workplace genuinely cares about your well-being and appreciates your contributions, you are more likely to reciprocate. That means you're more likely to repay the favor by performing better and remaining more committed to the organization than if you perceived a lack of support from the organization.

Make it a point to learn about your team members' backgrounds, previous jobs and experiences, what they find exciting, and adversity they've overcome. You don't have to get personal and creepy—you're not trying to become their best friend—but you do need to know the basics so they see you as someone who values them for more than their employee identification number.

Pay attention to what your subordinates do on the job. You must know what they do on a regular basis if you are to demonstrate that you value what they do. This may appear to be common sense, but in my experience, it is not. As a leader, you frequently have your own tasks to complete aside from people management, so it takes extra effort to get "in the weeds" enough to understand what your people do, what obstacles they face, and how they contribute to the organization's success.

Discuss to your subordinates the mid- and long-term objectives. That way, you can look for opportunities for training or stretch assignments that may be in their best interests.

Be adaptable and recognize that, while consistency is important for managers, it is also a fact that people differ. Looking after people's well-being necessitates at least a basic understanding of their concerns. Some people may be extremely motivated to work nontraditional hours in order to pick up their children from school; others may value the opportunity to work some overtime and earn more money. You won't know these details unless you know who you're dealing with.[1]

[1] KNOW YOUR PEOPLE AND LOOKOUT FOR THEIR WELFARE https://www.benbaran.com/blog/2017/3/25/know-your-people-and-look-out-for-their-welfare