After 25+ years in the “humans at work” business, I get asked a lot about teams, culture, and leadership.

Lately, though, the same question keeps surfacing in different forms:

Why don’t leaders care?

Why don’t they listen, notice how their decisions land, or try harder to make work better for all of us?

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I would be answering emails from a hammock with a tropical drink in hand. (OK, I do that now. Sometimes.)

Here’s what I actually believe: most leaders do care.

But three things often block that care from translating into visible behavior.

First, ego. The need to be right. The instinct to defend a decision rather than examine it.

Second, managing up instead of leading down. Energy goes toward satisfying the layer above rather than developing the layer below.

Third, misaligned incentives. Leaders are measured on output, cost, and speed. Rarely on meaningful feedback, career conversations, or whether their teams have what they need to succeed.

Here are ways to invest in yourself to break through each barrier.

If ego creeps in, practice visible curiosity. Ask one real question before sharing your view. Then listen without defending. Authority grows when people feel heard.

If managing up dominates your calendar, schedule time for team leadership. Have meaningful conversations with your people, and continue the curiosity, listening for what’s being said and noticing what’s held back.

If engagement is not on your scorecard, create your own. At week’s end, ask: Did I give meaningful feedback? Did I remove an obstacle? Did I create clarity?

Most leaders do care. The difference is whether that care is accidental or intentional.

Be intentional.

T-minus 2 weeks until the March 17th publication date of my book. As subscribers you’re receiving sneak peeks into the first few chapters.

And…you’re among the first to witness the unboxing of my author copies. Here’s an excerpt from my LinkedIn post (accompanying the “oh my gosh” video).

There is something surreal about opening a box and seeing your thinking made tangible. All those drafts. All those rewrites. All those moments of, “Why on EARTH am I doing this? What do I possibly have to say about leadership?”

Apparently, quite a bit.

This book is not another leadership development how-to manual. Like me, it challenges the usual approach. It’s a little quirky. Often funny. And it’s relentlessly pragmatic.

The book asks leadership investors - founders, executives, department heads, frontline managers, HR professionals, talent development gurus - to build the business case before they ever pick the program. To get clear on why, who, and what before rushing to how.

Because leadership development is not an activity - it's an investment.

Unboxing this book felt like a return on my own investment. In the writing process, in my clients, in my work of the past two decades. And in myself.

And if you care about investing in leaders who will help your organization deliver results while inspiring a vision and caring deeply for their people - this book's for you.

I’m excited to be presenting next week at the Ohio Safety Congress and Expo - one of the largest conferences of its kind in the U.S. with more than 8,500 attendees.

My topic? Engagement sparked by the 3Ps: Power, Passion, and Priorities. When those three intersect, people don’t just comply - they care. (Speaking of caring…see above.)

Power is your strengths. The talents that come naturally and sharpen through practice. People who use their strengths are significantly more engaged.
Leader action: Help your team name their strengths. Then redesign roles, projects, or conversations so people use them more often.

Passion is what puts you in flow. The work that energizes you, even when it’s hard. Harmonious passion fuels intrinsic motivation and reduces burnout.
Leader action: Ask, “When are you at your best?” Then look for ways to connect that energy to current goals.

Priorities are your principles. Your internal compass. When people feel value congruence with their organization, engagement rises.
Leader action: Make space for values conversations. Clarify what matters most and show how individual priorities connect to the broader mission.

Engagement happens at the sweet spot where strengths are used, passions are activated, and values are honored. That intersection is where culture catches fire.

And in a Fire Horse year, we as leaders can turn sparks into flames.

Safely, of course.

There’s a full moon in Virgo this week, the sign associated with craft, effort, and service. Virgo also is about refinement, asking “Is this useful?” and then quietly editing until the answer is yes.

That feels connected to everything I’ve written about this week.

Leaders who care but don’t always translate that care into visible action. The 3 Ps showing up in real conversations. Unboxing a book that did not appear because of inspiration alone, but through disciplined, deliberate work.

A full moon illuminates and sharpens our view. In Virgo, that means the details, habits, and places where our intention and our follow-through don’t quite match.

Here is the invitation.

What small adjustment would make your caring as a leader more visible to the people who rely on you?

Not a reinvention. Not a grand gesture. That’s not how Virgo rolls.

This is a time of refinement.

Bottom line for this full moon? Virgo reminds us when you consistently do the work and make the investment, people feel it - and they (and you) will benefit from the returns.

I return to the moon, that big bright orb streaming into our collective windows.

As we step into the light, here are three considerations for the week.

First, caring becomes real when it becomes visible.
Leaders often assume their intentions should be obvious. They rarely are.
Consider: Where might your care still be assumed rather than demonstrated?

Second, finished work is refined work.
Unboxing my book was a massive milestone representing the completion of hundreds of small things. Success as a leader often feels like that. Celebrate the earned win.
Consider: How can you honor what you achieved through your commitment and intention?

Third, engagement is emotional and personal.
It requires the intersection of what we’re great at, what brings us joy, and what guides us. The 3 Ps are not abstract ideas, but rather daily practices worthy of investment.
Consider: How are you role modeling living a 3Ps life?

A full moon does not create the work. It reveals it - what you’ve done, what remains to do. Let what is illuminated guide your next step.

Until next time,

Tina