Communication is the key to fostering empathy and building relationships of openness, trust and honesty with your team. The first step in effective communication, according to Crossing, is to create the time and space for people to talk, and to ask questions.

Providing timely and meaningful feedback to your staff is crucial, as is determining how best to give them this feedback. Crossing recommends tailoring your approach to each individual, with some people requiring regular assurance and support, and others preferring more autonomy. Lee adds that it's important to let your staff know what they're doing right as well as what areas they need to work on.