• Think before you speak. Anticipate the possible reaction when giving feedback or delivering a decision. The director who gave a talk on how well the business was doing completely blew past the fact that a downsizing had been announced to his audience 2 days prior. This left people hurt and hurt his credibility.

• Think twice before thinking out loud or giving direction. Clients tell me repeatedly that priorities are changed radically, sometimes multiple times in one week. This depletes employees’ trust, and also diminishes how they view their contributions.

• Read your email mindfully. Read through your inbox before you start shooting off a series of questions. You may get your question answered in a subsequent email. You’ll save time writing. Your colleagues will thank you for not flooding their inboxes.

• Stretch your empathy muscle. For instance, don’t finish the workday without getting back to an employee about a concern. Even if it is near quitting time, reach out to that employee so she or he doesn’t lose another night’s sleep.

• Make them right. When people have a very human reaction, determine what is right about it and tell them so. I once gave an employee performance feedback. He responded with, “I think you think I’m an idiot.” I told him I was glad he told me that. I went on to tell him I was having the discussion with him because I wanted him to be successful.

It's both a leadership thing and an individual thing. You can start today. 

Undoubtedly leaders at the top need to model this behavior. Engagement and incentive programs have their place. They provide structure and consistency for a pro-employee organization.

And simple gestures and thoughtfulness set the tone for a truly pro-human workplace. Ask yourself what you can do, today.