March 6, 2025 • 9 mins
Do you feel torn between being a compassionate leader and driving business results?
You’re not alone.
Listen as we unveil the CARE model—a practical guide to leading with both heart and head.
Looking for a community of leaders where you can tackle real challenges, share wins, and grow together—without office politics getting in the way? Join Leadership Thought Partners, a coach-led, group-directed space launching in July—early bird pricing ends May 31, 2025 at strongleadersserve.com/ltp!
Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-m-schmidt/
Get 1-on-1 leadership support from Teri here: https://www.strongleadersserve.com/coaching
Set up an intro call with Teri: https://calendly.com/terischmidt/discoverycall
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Microphone (Wireless Mi (00:00):
Welcome back to Strong Leader Serve.
(00:02):
As you know, this is the podcastwhere we explore how
compassionate, driven leaderscan effectively lead while
holding the tension betweencaring about the humans they are
working with and drivingbusiness results.
I'm Terri Schmidt, and as wecontinue our season talking
about some of the biggestchallenges for compassionate,
driven leaders, I wanted to giveyou a peek behind the curtain
(00:25):
into an easy to remember modelthat we use with our clients.
It's called the CARE model, andwe'll explore how it fits
seamlessly into our leadershipmodel that we've talked about
before of Ground, Grow, Give.
If you've ever felt torn being acompassionate leader and a
results driven one, this episodeis for you.
(01:01):
Okay, so let's start with acommon leadership dilemma.
Imagine this, you're leading aproject and one of your top
performers, Sarah, is fallingbehind.
You know she's dealing withpersonal stress and your
instinct is to ease herworkload.
But the project is timesensitive and the team is
counting on her contributions.
(01:22):
Do you lean into compassion andgive her space, risking the
project timeline?
Or do you push for results,potentially damaging trust and
engagement?
This tension between care andaccountability is something that
leaders face daily.
As we've talked about before,Brene Brown in Dare to Lead said
clear is kind.
(01:42):
True compassion includes honestconversations and
accountability.
That's where the CARE modelcomes in.
A framework for leaders to leadwith both heart and discipline.
Okay, so what does CARE standfor?
Well, the C is Connect withHumanity.
This is all about buildingauthentic relationships through
(02:03):
trust and empathy.
The A is to Align Expectations.
To set clear, mutually agreedupon goals.
The R
Microphone (Wireless (02:12):
Reinforce.
Microphone (Wireless Micro (02:14):
It's to celebrate small wins while
driving outcomes.
Microphone (Wireless Microp (02:17):
And the E is to empower with trust.
Delegating meaningfully, givingautonomy with support.
Let me share how this played out for
a leader we'll call Mary.
Mary was a senior level managerin a new role.
She had a newly formed team andthey became highly reliant on
her as the central point ofcontact instead of working
(02:38):
together with each other.
She initially leaned intocompassion, jumping in to
provide them direct support.
She was rescuing them instead ofserving them.
With her as a bottleneck and noaccountability for working as a
team, project stalled.
When we applied the CARE model,here's what changed.
First, she started connectingmore deeply.
(03:01):
She began weekly check ins whereher team members could share not
just work updates, but where shecould learn what motivated them
and how they liked tocollaborate.
She aligned expectations,clarifying her ultimate vision
for how the team would worktogether, sharing the rationale
for that vision, and ensuringthe team buy in.
(03:21):
She reinforced progress.
Each time they worked togetheras a team to solve a problem,
they would get an email or ashout out, and she would
recognize and thank them forworking together as a team.
And finally, she empowered herteam by clarifying their roles,
giving them flexibility andencouragement to lean on each
other, while communicating thatshe'd always be there to support
(03:45):
if unusual issues arose thatthey couldn't solve as a team.
The result, the team had higherengagement, fewer missed
deadlines, and became moreresilient.
It's not surprising that thisworked.
The CARE model aligns veryclosely with Amy Edmondson's
research on psychologicalsafety.
So if you've been followingStrong Leaders Serve for a
(04:06):
while, you probably have heardme talk about our leadership
model of ground, grow, and give,and how that is a spiral of
different phases that we willcontinue to go through
throughout our leadershipcareer.
So, no, we are not getting ridof ground, grow, give, but care
actually fits right in toground, grow, give.
(04:28):
If you think about our groundphase, we all know that
leadership starts with selfawareness, knowing your
strengths, values, and biases.
The C in CARE, connecting withhumanity, begins with connecting
to your own humanity.
To really understanding who youare as a unique person.
So I'm curious, when was thelast time you asked yourself, Am
(04:50):
I leading from my values today?
On to the grow phase.
Leaders grow by learning.
Not just from books orworkshops, but from real time
feedback and reflection.
The A and the R, alignexpectations and reinforce
progress, drive that growth.
Take Lisa, a leader whostruggled with delegation.
(05:12):
By aligning her expectations andtracking progress, She built the
confidence to step back withoutfeeling like she was abandoning
her team.
And finally, the Give phase.
Leadership, as you know andbelieve, isn't just about
personal success.
It's about uplifting others.
The E in Care, Empower withTrust, is about giving your team
(05:35):
autonomy and support.
Research on self determinationtheory shows that intrinsic
motivation.
So how can you start being aleader who cares today?
First, to connect.
Maybe start every on one with apersonal check in.
A question like, what's onething I should know about how
(05:56):
you're doing this week?
Number two, to align.
Clarify one expectation withyour team.
Pick something that maybethere's a little bit of lack of
clarity around what successlooks like.
And make that crystal clear foryour team.
Number three, reinforce.
Pick one small win to celebrate,either publicly or privately.
(06:20):
When we get in the mix of doing,doing, doing, sometimes it's
hard to think about stopping andcelebrating accomplishments.
But this reinforcement of thesmall wins can have a huge
impact.
And lastly, empower.
Think about one decision thatyou can delegate without
micromanaging.
So this week, I encourage you topick one care element and put it
(06:44):
into practice.
And I would love to hear how itshifts your leadership.
And remember, until next time,leadership doesn't have to be a
choice between compassion andresults.
Instead, it is a moment tomoment dance that you can
navigate using some of theskills that I talked about in
the CARE model.
(07:04):
And when you do that, you're notjust transforming your
leadership.
You actually have the power totransform the lives of those
that you lead.
Join us next week as we talk toENSEAD professor Henrik
Bressmann about the themes fromthe book that he co wrote, X
Teams, and how to lead when teamboundaries are much more fuzzy
(07:26):
than they used to be.
It was a great conversation andI can't wait to share it with
you.
Have a great week.
Welcome back to Strong Leader Serve.
(00:02):
As you know, this is the podcastwhere we explore how
compassionate, driven leaderscan effectively lead while
holding the tension betweencaring about the humans they are
working with and drivingbusiness results.
I'm Terri Schmidt, and as wecontinue our season talking
about some of the biggestchallenges for compassionate,
driven leaders, I wanted to giveyou a peek behind the curtain
(00:25):
into an easy to remember modelthat we use with our clients.
It's called the CARE model, andwe'll explore how it fits
seamlessly into our leadershipmodel that we've talked about
before of Ground, Grow, Give.
If you've ever felt torn being acompassionate leader and a
results driven one, this episodeis for you.
(01:01):
Okay, so let's start with acommon leadership dilemma.
Imagine this, you're leading aproject and one of your top
performers, Sarah, is fallingbehind.
You know she's dealing withpersonal stress and your
instinct is to ease herworkload.
But the project is timesensitive and the team is
counting on her contributions.
(01:22):
Do you lean into compassion andgive her space, risking the
project timeline?
Or do you push for results,potentially damaging trust and
engagement?
This tension between care andaccountability is something that
leaders face daily.
As we've talked about before,Brene Brown in Dare to Lead said
clear is kind.
(01:42):
True compassion includes honestconversations and
accountability.
That's where the CARE modelcomes in.
A framework for leaders to leadwith both heart and discipline.
Okay, so what does CARE standfor?
Well, the C is Connect withHumanity.
This is all about buildingauthentic relationships through
(02:03):
trust and empathy.
The A is to Align Expectations.
To set clear, mutually agreedupon goals.
The R
Microphone (Wireless (02:12):
Reinforce.
Microphone (Wireless Micro (02:14):
It's to celebrate small wins while
driving outcomes.
Microphone (Wireless Microp (02:17):
And the E is to empower with trust.
Delegating meaningfully, givingautonomy with support.
Let me share how this played out for
a leader we'll call Mary.
Mary was a senior level managerin a new role.
She had a newly formed team andthey became highly reliant on
her as the central point ofcontact instead of working
(02:38):
together with each other.
She initially leaned intocompassion, jumping in to
provide them direct support.
She was rescuing them instead ofserving them.
With her as a bottleneck and noaccountability for working as a
team, project stalled.
When we applied the CARE model,here's what changed.
First, she started connectingmore deeply.
(03:01):
She began weekly check ins whereher team members could share not
just work updates, but where shecould learn what motivated them
and how they liked tocollaborate.
She aligned expectations,clarifying her ultimate vision
for how the team would worktogether, sharing the rationale
for that vision, and ensuringthe team buy in.
(03:21):
She reinforced progress.
Each time they worked togetheras a team to solve a problem,
they would get an email or ashout out, and she would
recognize and thank them forworking together as a team.
And finally, she empowered herteam by clarifying their roles,
giving them flexibility andencouragement to lean on each
other, while communicating thatshe'd always be there to support
(03:45):
if unusual issues arose thatthey couldn't solve as a team.
The result, the team had higherengagement, fewer missed
deadlines, and became moreresilient.
It's not surprising that thisworked.
The CARE model aligns veryclosely with Amy Edmondson's
research on psychologicalsafety.
So if you've been followingStrong Leaders Serve for a
(04:06):
while, you probably have heardme talk about our leadership
model of ground, grow, and give,and how that is a spiral of
different phases that we willcontinue to go through
throughout our leadershipcareer.
So, no, we are not getting ridof ground, grow, give, but care
actually fits right in toground, grow, give.
(04:28):
If you think about our groundphase, we all know that
leadership starts with selfawareness, knowing your
strengths, values, and biases.
The C in CARE, connecting withhumanity, begins with connecting
to your own humanity.
To really understanding who youare as a unique person.
So I'm curious, when was thelast time you asked yourself, Am
(04:50):
I leading from my values today?
On to the grow phase.
Leaders grow by learning.
Not just from books orworkshops, but from real time
feedback and reflection.
The A and the R, alignexpectations and reinforce
progress, drive that growth.
Take Lisa, a leader whostruggled with delegation.
(05:12):
By aligning her expectations andtracking progress, She built the
confidence to step back withoutfeeling like she was abandoning
her team.
And finally, the Give phase.
Leadership, as you know andbelieve, isn't just about
personal success.
It's about uplifting others.
The E in Care, Empower withTrust, is about giving your team
(05:35):
autonomy and support.
Research on self determinationtheory shows that intrinsic
motivation.
So how can you start being aleader who cares today?
First, to connect.
Maybe start every on one with apersonal check in.
A question like, what's onething I should know about how
(05:56):
you're doing this week?
Number two, to align.
Clarify one expectation withyour team.
Pick something that maybethere's a little bit of lack of
clarity around what successlooks like.
And make that crystal clear foryour team.
Number three, reinforce.
Pick one small win to celebrate,either publicly or privately.
(06:20):
When we get in the mix of doing,doing, doing, sometimes it's
hard to think about stopping andcelebrating accomplishments.
But this reinforcement of thesmall wins can have a huge
impact.
And lastly, empower.
Think about one decision thatyou can delegate without
micromanaging.
So this week, I encourage you topick one care element and put it
(06:44):
into practice.
And I would love to hear how itshifts your leadership.
And remember, until next time,leadership doesn't have to be a
choice between compassion andresults.
Instead, it is a moment tomoment dance that you can
navigate using some of theskills that I talked about in
the CARE model.
(07:04):
And when you do that, you're notjust transforming your
leadership.
You actually have the power totransform the lives of those
that you lead.
Join us next week as we talk toENSEAD professor Henrik
Bressmann about the themes fromthe book that he co wrote, X
Teams, and how to lead when teamboundaries are much more fuzzy
(07:26):
than they used to be.
It was a great conversation andI can't wait to share it with
you.
Have a great week.
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