With employee engagement at a decade-low and nearly half of all employees “quiet quitting,” the role of a manager has never been more pivotal or more challenging. We’re joined by Ling-Yi Tsai, an HRTech expert with decades of experience helping organizations navigate change. She argues that in today’s complex workplace, effective leadership hinges on trust and human connection. We’ll explore her insights on how managers can become a protective buffer for their teams, model authentic wellness, harness the power of constructive disagreement, master the art of delegation, and become a true champion for their employees’ long-term growth.
The article highlights that a manager’s role is to be a “Sh!t Umbrella.” Can you share a specific story where you filtered out faux-urgency for your team? What steps did you take to negotiate a more realistic timeline, and what was the impact on your team’s focus?
I vividly remember a time when a senior leader sent a frantic message on a Thursday afternoon, demanding a complete competitive analysis by the end of the day. The team’s collective stress level shot through the roof; you could almost feel the panic setting in. My first step was to shield them from that immediate pressure. I told them to pause while I got more context. I then went to the leader and asked a simple question: “What’s driving this urgency?” It turned out the “ASAP” request was for a single slide in a presentation scheduled for the following Tuesday. It wasn’t a true crisis. I negotiated a new deadline for Monday afternoon, which was more than enough time. The impact on my team was immediate and palpable. The tension in the room just dissolved. They were able to refocus on their actual priorities, avoiding a night of pointless, high-stress work. It’s a perfect example of how managers can reclaim the 41% of time workers spend on low-value tasks and give them the space to do what really matters.
You note that managers drive 70% of the variance in team engagement and should model wellness. Besides setting PTO and email boundaries, what are some practical, day-to-day actions a manager can take to improve a team’s mental health, and how can they measure the results?
It’s about weaving wellness into the very fabric of the team’s daily rhythm. For instance, I make it a practice to start our team meetings with a non-work-related check-in, just to see how everyone is doing as a human being. After a particularly grueling or intense project, I’ll declare a “meeting-free” afternoon to give everyone a chance to catch their breath and reset. Another small but powerful action is to openly celebrate learning from mistakes. When someone’s experiment doesn’t pan out, framing it as a valuable lesson rather than a failure removes so much performance anxiety. As for measuring the results, while you can use anonymous pulse surveys, I find the qualitative data is often more telling. Are people more willing to speak up with creative, half-formed ideas? Are they taking their earned time off without guilt? Is there a noticeable drop in last-minute sick days after a tough deadline? These are the real indicators that you’re moving the needle and closing the gap that more than half of workers report, where they feel the workplace is far less mentally healthy than their employer believes it is.
Your advice is to break the “echo chamber” by inviting diverse voices. Could you describe a situation where “cognitive friction” led to a better outcome? What was the initial resistance, and how did you guide the team to embrace that discomfort and reach an elevated choice?
Absolutely. We were working on a major software update, and the engineering team was defaulting to our standard, tried-and-true development approach. It was comfortable. A newer member of the team, however, argued for a completely different methodology. The initial resistance was strong; you could hear the grumbling about the learning curve and potential delays. The discomfort in the room—that “cognitive friction”—was exactly what we needed. Instead of shutting it down, I scheduled a dedicated session where both sides could present their case. I framed it not as a conflict, but as an exploration to find the best possible path. The established team members raised valid concerns about risks, and the newer engineer highlighted the long-term benefits of scalability and efficiency. By guiding them through that friction, they landed on a hybrid approach that incorporated the best of both worlds. It was a far more innovative and robust solution than either side had initially proposed, born directly from that moment of productive tension.
You outline five distinct levels of delegation. Can you walk us through how a manager assesses which level is appropriate for a particular task and employee? Please provide a real-world example of how you’ve used both “Directive” and “Consultative” delegation and why.
The key is to assess two variables: the employee’s experience level with the task and the task’s overall risk to the business. For a junior employee handling a high-stakes, time-sensitive client report, I would use Level 1, “Directive” delegation. I’d say, “Do exactly this: pull the data from these specific sources, use this precise template, and have the first draft on my desk by 3 PM.” The guardrails are tight because precision is critical and it’s not the right moment for a learning experiment. Conversely, with a seasoned team member I trust, I would use Level 4, “Consultative” delegation for a strategic problem. For example, “Our team’s workflow seems inefficient. Please research two or three potential project management tools, analyze their pros and cons for our specific needs, and bring me your top recommendation.” This approach empowers them to use their expertise and take ownership, while I retain the final decision. It’s this spectrum of delegation that allows leaders to grow their teams and their business; after all, CEOs who master this generate 33% higher revenue.
Discussing an employee’s “last day” on their first day is a powerful concept. How does this conversation build trust from the start? Can you share a few follow-up questions you would use in one-on-ones to co-create a development plan that supports their long-term growth?
Starting that conversation on day one is transformative because it immediately proves you see them as more than just a resource to complete a set of tasks. It says, “I am invested in your entire career journey, not just the slice of it that you spend with me.” This builds a foundation of psychological safety and trust, showing them you are an advocate for their personal and professional goals, even if that path eventually leads them away from your team. To keep that conversation alive, I use one-on-ones to co-create their growth plan. I’ll ask follow-up questions like, “You mentioned wanting to gain experience in data analytics. We have a cross-functional project coming up that’s data-heavy. Would you be interested in taking the lead on that piece?” or “What’s one skill you saw in a senior leader that you’d love to develop, and how can we build a small project to start you on that path?” It makes their development a continuous, collaborative effort, not a once-a-year formality.
What is your forecast for the future of people management, especially as it intersects with AI and evolving workplace models?
I believe the future of management is profoundly human, and AI will be the catalyst that makes that possible. AI will handle the administrative burdens that bog managers down—analyzing performance data, scheduling, and flagging burnout risks—freeing them up to focus on what truly matters. The role will shift from being a “taskmaster” to being a “career coach” and a “culture champion.” As hybrid and remote models continue to evolve, the manager will become the single most important node for creating a sense of connection and belonging within an organization. The most successful leaders will be those who excel at skills AI cannot replicate: deep empathy, navigating complex interpersonal dynamics, and fostering an environment of psychological safety where every team member, whether in the office or on a screen, feels seen, valued, and empowered to do their best work.