The first thing so many managers looking to do right by their teams ask is, “What problem can I solve for you right now?”
It’s efficient. It also skips the one question people are desperate to hear: “Who are you, and how are you?”
In fast-cycle environments like campaigns, the technical and tactical crowd out human connection. Calendars stack. Agendas arrive 45 minutes before meetings. One-on-ones get pushed off. Team meetings become status reports. Teams hit their numbers until ruptures, reactivity, and attrition quietly erode their work.
Campaigns (and many mission-driven teams) consistently undervalue “soft” leadership skills (we refer to them as heart-centered skills) - connection, trust-building, conflict navigation, feedback, reflective practice - even though these skills are the operating system that makes technical execution possible. Treating them as optional is a hidden performance risk. When we design for the soft side, or the heart-centered side early, sustain it through coaching during the sprint months, and hold intentional transition spaces post-election, teams perform better, leaders grow, and organizational culture strengthens across cycles.
What We’re Seeing on the Ground
Late starts blunt the impact. Leadership development launched after June on an election year has limited efficacy; people are already underwater.
Partial buy-in from leadership stalls follow-through. When leadership teams are only half bought in to developing their team members’ heart-centered skills, simple acts like sending follow-ups or collecting feedback fall through.
Technical and tactical win out over people. Our systems often reward technical mastery while neglecting management capacity.
Remote work amplifies gaps. Without watercooler chats and opportunities to connect, especially across multiple levels of the hierarchical system, people lose context and connection.
Redefining “Soft” as Critical Infrastructure
People practices are mission-critical infrastructure, not extras. The work is relational: information flow, trust, and psychological safety determine how fast teams can learn, self-correct, and achieve.
Five non-negotiables for managers:
Start with people, not problems. First one-on-one = Who are you? How do you like to be supported? Return to expand on these questions moving forward by asking, How are you doing? How can I support you today?
One-on-ones ≠ status meetings. Use a 30-minute cadence to make one-on-ones meaningful connection time: 10 minutes on well-being → 10 minutes on priorities → 5 minutes on feedback each way → 5 minutes on commitments.
Plan and communicate. Agendas are a must, and even in a fast-paced environment they should come at least 24 hours ahead of an important conversation. Send notes the same day (use AI to help!). Preparation and followup is inclusion for all thinking styles.
Name conflict early and out loud. Normalize “issue-clearing.” Make it common practice to ask and answer, out loud: What am I avoiding? What feels hard to talk about? What’s the impact on me and on others? What do I need to say or ask?
Feedback is a practice, not an event. Weekly micro-doses of feedback during one-on-ones keeps growth moving and lowers the stakes. We get better at whatever we choose to practice.
Any Sparks?
What conversation does this spark for you and your team? If you could make one “soft” practice non-negotiable this month, what would it be—and what meeting, ritual, or template will make it inevitable?