Melanie Perkins, the Founder and CEO of Canva, says,

As a leader, I feel my job is to set the vision and the goals for the company, and then to work with everyone to empower them to dream big and crazy.

Melanie Perkins, Founder and CEO of Canva

Her people-oriented leadership has made Canva one of the most successful startup unicorns ever. In 2023, Canva was named the #1 Best Workplace for Innovators by FastCompany.

How did this happen?

Canva has adopted a people-first strategy right from the start, even during recruitment. Candidates who progress to a certain level in the interview process get a free 6-month subscription to Canva Pro, even if they aren’t selected for the job.

Alphabet and Etsy take a similar approach—they focus on helping employees maintain a good work-life balance.

A recent survey by the World Economic Forum found that 48% of employees would leave their jobs if they prevented them from “enjoying their life.”

Wondering how you, too, can make your organization more people-oriented? Let’s start with the basics.

How to Implement People-Oriented Leadership Strategies

What Is People-Oriented Leadership?

A people-oriented leadership style is a proactive approach to making meaningful interpersonal connections with employees while mentoring them. It’s about keeping your employees’ best interests front and center.

People-first leaders treat their workforce as their primary asset. They focus on building a warm, welcoming working environment where employees thrive, staff turnover is low, and ideas and innovation flourish.

The importance of people-first leadership in a work environment can be staggering. Gallups’ State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report revealed that disengaged employees cost U.S. companies between $450 billion and $550 billion annually.

So, we can all agree that a people-oriented leader does wonders for their team, company, and themselves. Now, let’s see what people-oriented leadership looks like.

Characteristics of People-Oriented Leadership

A people-oriented leader has the following FACETS:

Fairness: They are fair and unbiased when dealing with all their team members and don’t play favorites. They also deal with concerns such as compensation, leave, overtime, and promotions fairly, keeping the employees’ interests foremost
Approachability: Such leaders make it clear that everyone on their team can approach them and share their concerns, ideas, and feedback. They respond to honest feedback with gratitude and humility
Collaborative mindset: When it comes to sharing ideas, plans, and concerns with their team members, they are proactive
Empathy: They can put themselves in their employees’ shoes and see things from their perspective
Emotional intelligence: They appreciate people’s contributions regularly and share constructive feedback tactfully
Empowering mindset: The leaders see their role as that of a mentor and empower their employees to learn, grow, and take ownership, and they keep honing their own leadership skills
Trust: They place faith in the integrity of their team members
Solution-orientedness: They identify areas for improvement in their process primarily by addressing their employees’ pain points

These FACETS are a people-oriented leader’s main assets!

Now, people-oriented leadership styles often clash with task-oriented approaches. In contrast to people-oriented leaders, a task-oriented leader prioritizes efficiently completing tasks to meet business goals. Each style has its own pros and cons, and both have their supporters and detractors. Let’s compare the two approaches.

People-Oriented vs. Task-Oriented Leadership

The terms ‘people-oriented leadership’ and ‘task-oriented leadership’ originated from Fred Fiedler’s contingency model of leadership effectiveness in the 1960s. Fiedler proposed that leadership effectiveness depends on the interaction between the leader’s style and the particular situation.

Check out how the two approaches differ:

Area	Task-oriented leadership	People-oriented leadership
Focus	Achieving goals and completing tasks efficiently	Building strong relationships and supporting team members
Leadership style	Directive, structured, and often authoritative	Collaborative, empathetic, and supportive
Communication	Clear, often unidirectional; emphasizes directives	Open, bidirectional; encourages feedback and dialogue
Decision-making	Decisive and often unilateral	Inclusive; considers team input and consensus
Motivation	Results-driven; may use performance metrics	Relationship-driven; fosters a positive work environment
Team dynamics	Role clarity; may lead to a mechanical atmosphere	Team cohesion; encourages communication, collaboration, and creativity
Adaptability	Less flexible; focuses on established processes	Highly flexible; takes team needs into consideration
Potential drawbacks	Can lead to burnout, low morale, and micromanagement	May struggle with accountability and decision-making
Ideal situations	High-pressure environments needing quick results	Environments requiring innovation and team engagement

Which style would work best for you? Would you and your organization benefit from a change in leadership style? And do you have to choose one or the other?

Also Read: ENTP Leadership: How to Make the Most of Your Traits

Balancing a people-oriented and a task-oriented leadership style

Businesses run on the bottom line. No business can survive if targets aren’t met. Yet the current challenges companies face in hiring and retaining skilled talent, coupled with the changing workplace landscape—between 2020 and 2023, the number of full-time freelancers grew by 91%—mean that no leader can afford to ignore the human factor.

So, how can you strike a balance? Follow these pointers:

When planning a new project, allocate resources and personnel mindfully. Don’t skimp on this! Remember Murphy’s law: “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
Communicate goals. State expectations at the outset, offer your employees the tools and resources they need to meet those expectations, monitor their progress regularly, and step in when they need help
Do. Not. Micromanage! Nobody likes to see their boss hovering
Implement and fine-tune practices tailored to your team’s particular needs. For example, younger employees value flexibility, learning opportunities, and a company culture that aligns with their values, while older ones tend to prefer competitive compensation and benefits, mentorship opportunities, and clear expectations. (Of course, everyone wants work-life balance!)
Reward employees for good work. When employees work after hours, show initiative, or go the extra mile, good leaders—whatever their management style—make sure they are acknowledged and rewarded

Strengths and Weaknesses of People-Oriented Leadership

As a management style, people-first leadership sounds like a win-win approach to employee satisfaction and successful people management. Sometimes, that’s true; other times, not so much.

Advantages of people-oriented leadership

‘People-oriented leadership’ might sound like a new-age mantra, but it’s been tried and tested for years, having roots in studies published in the 1960s and 1970s. Wonder why it’s so popular? These benefits are the answer:

Building an effective team: By enabling open communication, trust, and mutual support, people-oriented leaders help to build strong and cohesive teams that can effectively achieve their goals. They encourage employees to share their ideas, concerns, and perspectives, creating a sense of ownership and engagement
Boosting motivation: When employees feel valued, recognized, and supported, they’re more likely to be motivated to perform at their best. People-oriented leaders actively seek to understand the needs and aspirations of their team members and provide them with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. This approach can lead to increased job satisfaction, higher levels of engagement, and improved productivity
Building psychological resilience in teams: By creating a supportive and empathetic work environment, people-oriented leaders help employees cope with stress, setbacks, and challenges. They encourage resilience by promoting positive thinking, providing opportunities for growth and development, and offering emotional support when needed
Employee retention: People-oriented leaders prioritize creating a positive work culture where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered. This approach increases employee loyalty, reduces turnover, and creates a more stable workforce

Given these benefits, effective leaders adopt people-first team management practices to build strong teams that consistently achieve goals.

Also Read: 15 Free Project Communication Plan Templates: Excel, Word, & ClickUp

Disadvantages of people-oriented leadership

A people-oriented approach may not be suitable for every scenario. Sometimes, it may result in challenges:

Slower decision-making: Leaders who seek input from all team members must remember those inputs while making decisions. This can be time-consuming and ineffective
Reduced accountability: Leaders who build close relationships with their employees may find it difficult to take a tough approach when needed—such as when dealing with an underperforming employee
Groupthink: “Groupthink” refers to team members agreeing with each other purely to conform. This herd mentality can lead to criticism being suppressed and valuable insights being lost
Employee resentment: Employees who are accustomed to having their voices heard may feel resentful if their inputs aren’t acted on
Cultural mismatch: In larger or more structured organizations, the nature of the work may require a more task-focused team leadership style to maintain efficiency and productivity

These, however, are worst-case possibilities. Well-designed team management practices and tools can lower the risk for any of these. ClickUp—a one-stop HR project management solution that can help you implement people-oriented practices in your organization—may be what you’re looking for.

How to Implement People-Oriented Leadership in Organizations

Let’s look at some steps you can take to integrate people-first leadership practices into your work environment:

1. Cultivate empathy and understanding

Genuinely listen to your employees’ perspectives, needs, and concerns. This shows that you value their input and are committed to understanding their experiences.

Also, consider providing empathy training to help leaders develop their emotional intelligence and better connect with their team members. An open-door policy can also encourage open communication and make it easier for employees to express their thoughts and feelings.

2. Build trust and relationships

Trust leads to a strong and positive workplace culture. Transparency is key; be open and honest about organizational goals, decisions, and challenges. This builds trust and helps employees feel informed and involved.

Honesty is also important; communicate openly and truthfully with your team members. This fosters trust and respect.

You can use the ClickUp Chat view to communicate with teams and individuals—async and in real time. Use it to congratulate them on a job well done, give them constructive feedback, and share important updates. This also gives your employees a platform to convey their ideas and share their concerns with you.

3. Prioritize employee well-being

A people-oriented leader understands the importance of employee well-being. You can promote a healthy work-life balance through flexible work arrangements and policies.

Offering wellness programs, such as stress management workshops and health screenings, demonstrates your commitment to your employees’ physical and mental health. Providing employee assistance programs (EAPs) can also help employees in need address personal challenges.

4. Empower and delegate

Trusting your employees to take ownership of their work and make decisions shows that you believe in their abilities. Delegate tasks appropriately to empower employees, reduce workload, and foster a sense of responsibility. Provide regular feedback and recognition to motivate and encourage employees. Positive reinforcement can go a long way in boosting morale and productivity.

The ClickUp Task Management Plan Template can help you with this.

Keep your team organized and focused on their goals with ClickUp’s Task Management Template

This template is useful in clarifying roles and responsibilities among team members, increasing productivity. It helps managers and employees custom-make status reports, task views, and categories to track progress.

It also helps outline and set objectives that ease task management and priorities. All these distinctive features collectively make employee communication hassle-free by defining accountability and establishing expectations of results.

Here’s an overview of what this template offers:

Use the Agenda View to plan and organize team meetings
Organize meetings by department so that everyone’s time is used efficiently with the Agenda by Department View
Keep track of progress and tasks for each department with the Status by Department View
Provide team members with a roadmap for success with the Getting Started Guide View
Organize tasks into five different statuses—Canceled, Complete, Stuck, To Do, Working On It, to keep track of progress
Update statuses as you progress through tasks to keep stakeholders informed of progress
Monitor and analyze tasks to ensure maximum productivity

Download This Template

5. Foster a positive work culture

Create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. Celebrate successes, both individual and team achievements, to boost morale and create a sense of accomplishment. Encouraging continuous learning and development demonstrates your commitment to your employees’ growth and professional development.

6. Lead by example

As a leader, your actions speak louder than your words. So, model the behaviors you expect from your team, such as empathy, trust, and respect. Being genuine and authentic in your interactions with employees builds trust and credibility.

Also, servant leadership should be considered when developing a people-oriented approach. When a leader serves the employee, it’s called servant leadership. Being mindful of employee timings and respecting their boundaries is a good place to start. Lead the way to serve, and they’ll follow your suit.

7. Measure and evaluate

It’s important to measure and evaluate your efforts to assess the effectiveness of your people-oriented leadership. Conduct regular employee surveys for valuable feedback on your leadership style and work environment. Also, track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of your people-oriented approach on organizational outcomes.

ClickUp’s Human Resources Management Platform can make this easy for you. It provides a centralized platform for tracking employee progress, facilitating open communication, and aligning teams—key elements of people-oriented leadership.

It offers several features that can assist you in conducting regular employee surveys and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) to enhance your leadership style and improve the overall work environment.

Here are some of ClickUp’s key features:

Customizable surveys: Create tailored surveys through ClickUp Forms that can be distributed among employees. This customization helps gather specific feedback related to leadership styles and workplace culture
Engagement tracking: Monitor employee engagement levels, which can be directly linked to survey results. By analyzing engagement data, you can identify areas for improvement in your leadership approach
Task management: Assign responsibilities and track project progress, ensuring that feedback from surveys is acted upon with ClickUp Tasks
Performance metrics: Track various performance metrics through ClickUp Dashboards. This feature allows for real-time monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) related to employee satisfaction and productivity
Goal setting and management: Supports goal setting at both individual and team levels with ClickUp Goals. Align these goals with employee aspirations and organizational outcomes and measure progress through regular check-ins and updates

Also Read: How to Set SMART Goals for Managers

Overall, ClickUp provides a comprehensive suite of tools that can help you effectively gather employee feedback and measure the impact of your leadership on organizational outcomes. These features support people-oriented leadership skills, fostering a more engaged and productive workforce.

The Need for More People-Oriented Leaders

If you put people before tasks, they’ll put the company first. When you encourage and engage with your employees daily, using the right leadership strategies, they’ll perform more efficiently.

A smile, a word of congrats, and transparent, fair communication and expectation-setting make you a better, people-oriented leader. And, if you’ve made it this far into the article, be assured you’re halfway there!

However, finding the right software to align with your company goals is crucial. If you have already started the search, we recommend ClickUp, as its features will help you enhance your leadership style.