Really Hearing Your Employees

Cathie Leimbach • February 19, 2022

Human beings need to have a purpose, they need to matter. When we feel irrelevant or unimportant our energy and commitment tank.  We accomplish less. We are less kind and less patient.  When we are heard, when someone pays attention to our emotions, our actions, our experiences, or our suggestions, we feel valued. We feel that we have worth as a person. 


Everyone experiences not being heard. The one not hearing us may be our child, partner, friend, neighbor, acquaintance, teacher, doctor, customer, employee, colleague, boss, or stranger. If an acquaintance or stranger doesn’t notice us or listen to us, it is usually not a big deal. They aren’t part of our daily life so we have no need to be valued by them. But when we feel undervalued by members of our household, our close social circle, or a colleague who is important to our workplace success, the quality of our life is impacted.


Employees may be excited to tell their boss they have finally mastered a key task, but we don’t take two minutes to hear about it and acknowledge their success. They may be struggling to understand an assignment, be completely stuck on the next step, need a technology upgrade to handle the current volume of work, or have an innovative idea that could enhance productivity and the bottom line, but we don’t listen to their bottlenecks and provide the support that would help them achieve company goals. Your team member may wish to ask if they could do their end-of-day paperwork remotely the week their children’s after-school babysitter is on vacation.  Perhaps it would be a relief if they could come in half-an-hour later the week their take-the-kids-to-school carpool parent recovers from surgery. How open are we to helping reduce their anxiety so they can be more focused at work?


The job of supervisors and managers is to help their employees be successful. When we don’t take time to hear them out, to consider their requests and their ideas, we become their biggest bottleneck. You may not realize that as leaders, we control 70% of the factors that affect our team’s performance. Yes, our employees only control 30% of the factors that impact their results.  Some research suggests that employees might control as little as 20%!  How intentional are we about reducing the bottlenecks that our employees can’t control?


When employees incorrectly interpret our instructions regarding an urgent assignment, the emergency gets worse. If a virus or software update prevents them from doing important computer work, we may want them to focus on another high priority task.


When they figure out a way to improve results by tweaking a standard procedure, we might want to listen when they try to tell us about it before they teach their more successful method to everyone in two departments. When we suddenly assign an urgent task to busy experienced employees without helping them reprioritize their normal critical responsibilities, we are setting them up for failure. 


Results-oriented employees seldom make excuses. If they say ‘but’ they are likely about to share a real bottleneck – a challenge they don’t know how to solve. They are interested in both the company’s success and their personal reputation and they are trying to figure out how to accomplish the increased workload or which tasks can be rescheduled or put on the back burner.  As leaders, we need to be thankful they are sharing their concerns with us and asking for help. In a few minutes, we may be able to put their mind at ease so they can focus on the priorities at hand.  Without our help, their mental overwhelm or under-informed decisions may negatively impact the speed and accuracy of their work for days. 


When we make a habit of not listening to employee concerns or not considering their ideas, they often feel that we don’t want them to be their best, to solve problems, or improve performance. They stop asking questions to clarify expectations and understand the context of their work. They stop trying to engage or innovate. They stop trying to be open, honest, and collaborative.  Eventually, they decide to either cope with their workplace disappointments or join the great resignation. 


Leaders have the greatest impact on employee retention. Our job is to equip and support our employees for success, not to spur failure and disenchantment. It is important that they feel valued for sharing their challenges and ideas for improvement. We have to ensure they feel heard. 


What is one thing you can do differently to help your employees feel heard? 

If Employees Aren't Growing, Performance Isn't Either

By Cathie Leimbach • June 9, 2026
Most leaders want better performance. They want employees who take ownership, solve problems, adapt to change, and consistently deliver results. Yet Gallup reports that only 31% of employees are engaged at work. That means nearly 7 out of 10 employees are not fully applying their talents, effort, and initiative to their roles. The question leaders should be asking isn't simply: "Why aren't employees performing?" It's: "Are we developing people to perform at their best?" Gallup's latest research suggests many organizations may be falling behind. Nearly 6 in 10 CHROs say employee development is one of the areas where their organization struggles most. At the same time, fewer than half of U.S. employees have participated in training or education to build new skills for their current job. That gap creates risk. As AI, technology, customer expectations, and job responsibilities continue to evolve, employees cannot meet changing expectations with outdated skills. The impact is especially significant among high performers. Gallup found that organizations providing fewer development opportunities are more likely to lose their best people. The good news is that development doesn't require expensive programs or lengthy workshops. It starts with leaders who consistently: • Connect strengths to daily work • Clarify expectations • Provide meaningful feedback • Coach performance • Hold growth-focused conversations  One of the most effective ways leaders can support employee development is through regular 1-on-1 meetings with each direct report. These conversations create opportunities to coach, remove obstacles, align priorities, and discuss growth before problems become bigger issues. For practical ideas, read our resource: 5 Factors in Successful 1-on-1s . Organizations that thrive won't simply expect more from employees. They'll develop people so they can contribute more. Because when employees grow, performance grows with them.

Culture Is Built in Conversations

By Cathie Leimbach • June 2, 2026
Most leaders want stronger culture. Less silo thinking. Better accountability. More ownership. Healthier teamwork. Higher engagement. But culture rarely changes because of posters, slogans, or mission statements. It changes through thousands of conversations leaders have every week. That’s one reason Jim Brown’s book, The Imperfect CEO , stands out. Rather than focusing on leadership image, the book centers on the real work of building trust-centered organizations. Shari Seckler, CEO of PenFinancial Credit Union, wrote:  “This book shows why collaboration and culture aren't soft – they're the backbone of lasting success.” Marc Jeffreys, President of Revision University, described it this way: “Jim Brown’s framework helps leaders foster environments where trust grows, purpose strengthens, and teams move forward together.” In our Conversational Management work, we consistently see that culture is shaped by how leaders handle everyday moments: difficult feedback missed expectations recognition conflict coaching conversations accountability discussions collaborative decision-making Employees usually decide whether they trust leadership based on these interactions far more than company messaging. That’s why books like The Imperfect CEO matter. They remind leaders that organizational health is not built through perfection. It is built through clarity, humility, consistency, and meaningful conversations repeated over time. If you lead people, this book deserves your attention. Order your copy today.