As managers, how often do we ask ourselves, “what do I want for my staff?” Sometimes we focus so much on getting deadlines met, and tasks completed that we fail to ask and consider what we can do to help our staff grow, learn, and frankly to make sure they are satisfied personally and feel they’re contributing to the organization.

How often do we spend time talking one-on-one with them, and I mean talking with them, not talking at them? It’s easy to focus on what projects they’re working on and how much they’ve accomplished towards their tasks, but how often do we ask “how are you?” and “how can I help you?”

I write this as a personal reminder to take the time to fulfill my responsibility as a servant leader to my staff and ensure they are taken care of.