Caring: An Underrated Skill Critical for Lean Leaders

Caring: An Underrated Skill Critical for Lean Leaders

A caring supervisor can be the deciding factor between an employee engaging or remaining on the sidelines.

Insights, news and information for manufacturing leaders indicate that caring is one of those terms placed in the “soft skills” category, which unfortunately many interpret as less important or impactful than “hard skills.”

Nothing can be further from the truth!

In fact, it is the soft skills (which should be renamed as “people skills” or “human skills”) that are the most critical contributors to hard, bottom-line results.

In this article, the relationship between an employee and their direct supervisor will be explored, building a case for why a supervisor should care for those who report to him or her.

A few ways that a supervisor demonstrates that they care will also be reviewed, starting with defining “caring” regarding the employee/supervisor relationship.

Author summary: Caring supervisors drive employee engagement.

more

IndustryWeek IndustryWeek — 2025-10-14

More News