Look. Listen. Feel.

I just finished completing my online training for the American Heart Association's Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course, something which I have had to periodically do throughout my career.  Whenever I do take this course, I always think back to the very first time that I learned CPR as a Boy Scout.  We were taught then (and it's still taught now) that whenever you find someone lying unconscious, you should check for the presence of a pulse and determine if they are breathing.  The phrase "Look, Listen, and Feel" summarized exactly how you were supposed to go about doing it.  "Look" for the rise and fall of the chest, indicating that the person is breathing.  "Listen" for air blowing out of the person's mouth and nose.  "Feel" for the presence of a pulse.

I was struck that this "Look, Listen, and Feel" phrase is a great analogy for leadership too!  First, "Look" - there is no better way to check in on your team's wellbeing than to actually go to where they are and ask them how they are doing.  Lean/Six Sigma and the Toyota Production System calls it "Going to the Gemba" ("gemba" is a Japanese word that translates into "the actual place"), though others have called it "management by walking around".  

Once you are at the gemba, the next step is to "Listen" to your team.  Ask them if there is anything that you, as their manager, could be doing to support them better.  Ask them if they have all the resources (including time) to be able to effectively do their jobs.

The third and final step is perhaps the most important.  "Feel" for the members of your team by getting to know them as individuals - what are their strengths, what motivates them the best, what challenges are they experiencing in their professional and personal lives.  In other words, show them that you care about who they are as individuals.  

"Look, Listen, and Feel" is a great way to remember three important aspects of leadership.