Steven Claes

I messed up big time.

My heart sank as I watched Sarah, my star employee, walk out the door for the last time, some 10 years ago.

I thought I was a good boss. I was wrong.

Did you know 69% of people aren't excited about their job? 
(That's like 7 out of 10 of your friends hating Mondays!)

Why? Because bosses like me did not listen.

We controlled too much.

We didn't let people grow.

But I learned.

And now I'm sharing what works:

→ Give people big jobs to do. Trust them.
→ Share the glory when things go well.
→ Let everyone speak up. Listen hard.
→ Cheer for wins - even small ones!
→ Let them be the boss sometimes.
→ Help them learn new stuff.
→ Don't just nod and forget.
→ Use their ideas.

It's not just for work.

Everyone, this is for you too!

Let your kids try new things (safely). 
Let them grow.

I wish I knew this earlier. 
Sarah might still be here.

But it's not too late for you. 💚

What will you do today to make someone feel valued?
_________________________
♻️ Repost to avoid messing up with people
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

You're more qualified than you think!

Ever see a job posting and think, “I can't do that“?

Think again!

Most job descriptions are wish lists, not must-haves.

Don't let them scare you off!

I've seen so many amazing people miss out on great jobs.

Why?

They thought they needed to be perfect.

And here's the kicker: If you're excited to learn and grow, you're already winning.

Don't worry about ticking every box.

Focus on what makes you special:

✅ DO:

• Show your unique skills
• Highlight your passion to learn
• Apply even if you're not 100% qualified

❌ DON'T:

• Wait for the “perfect“ job
• Assume you can't do it
• Let fear hold you back

My advice: Your growth mindset is your superpower in 2025! 💚

PS. What's the coolest thing you've learned on your own?

_________________________
♻️ Repost to help your friends
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture
Post ranking: #6 of 2024

🔥 Leadership Bombshell 🔥

Most leaders are doing this completely wrong.
(and I learned this the hard way)

Imagine losing your Best Talent in 60 seconds.

That's exactly what happens when you judge Faster than you Listen.

One wrong move. One quick judgment.

Your entire team's trust? Gone.

Leadership isn't about being Right.

It's about being Human.

The Top 1% of leaders know something revolutionary:

↳ Listening is your secret weapon.
↳ Judgment is your kryptonite.

Want to know how the world's most successful leaders create unstoppable teams?

↳ They Shut Up and Tune In.

Hard truth: Your ego kills more careers than any recession.

This isn't motivation.
This is leadership surgery.

Lead with your ears, not your mouth. 
Your team deserves to be heard. 💚

Who's brave enough to change?

Credit picture: Rob Dance

_________________________
♻️ Repost to lead with ears, not with your speech
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

I used to feel alone in my career. Like nobody had my back.

Then I learned a secret.

It changed everything.

Surround yourself with people who fight for you when you're not there.

These are your true allies.

Your champions.

They defend your reputation.
They speak up for you in meetings.
They recommend you for opportunities.

It feels amazing to have people in your corner.

Like having superpowers!

✅ How to build your team of champions:
→ Keep your promises
→ Celebrate others' wins loudly
→ Be genuinely kind to everyone
→ Offer help without expecting anything back
→ Stand up for what's right, even when it's hard

❌ Don't:
→ Ignore people when you don't need them
→ Gossip or speak badly of others
→ Take credit for team efforts

I've seen this work wonders.

For me and countless others.

You don't have to be a boss to do this.

Anyone can.

Start today.

Be someone's champion.

Watch how it comes back to you.💚

PS. Who's got your back? Tag them below!

_______________________________
♻️ Repost for all those champions out there.
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

A culture of “Know It All“ or “Show It All“?

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom means not tossing it into a fruit salad.

Here's a simple truth:

Knowing a lot doesn't require you to share it all. Just like some fruits don't belong in every dish, not every thought deserves airtime.

________________

What can you do to have a culture of great communication?

1️⃣ 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀:

Listen first to understand, not to respond.

Share not just because you can, but because it matters.

Speak with intention.

2️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀:

Avoid being the person who always stirs the pot by gossiping or spreading unverified information.

Instead, be the calming presence that others respect.

3️⃣ 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵:

When you do talk, make sure it’s helpful, corrective when necessary, and always timely.

Words are powerful — use them wisely.
________________

Let’s create ripples of wisdom, not waves of noise.

P.S.1. A magnificent video on the power of words in the comment section

P.S.2. Reflection time: When was the last moment you chose silence over speech and discovered it was the more powerful choice?

Video credit: Dewayne - #DryCreekWranglerSchool (check out his youtube channel)

Are you tired of feeling drained?

Toxic people zap your energy like bad WiFi.

It's time to cut the connection!

When you do, something amazing happens.

Your signal gets stronger. ⚡️

You feel lighter, happier, and more powerful.

I've been there. We all have.

Those people who always bring you down.

The ones who make you doubt yourself.

But here's the truth:

You deserve better. 💖

Leaders, this goes for you too!

A toxic team member can hurt everyone.

So, what can you do?

✅ Here are some quick tips:

↳ Set clear boundaries
↳ Focus on your own growth
↳ Spend time with positive people
↳ Speak up when someone crosses the line

❌ And what NOT to do:

↳ Don't feel guilty for putting yourself first
↳ Don't engage in their drama
↳ Don't try to change them

Believe me, you're the hero of your story.

Be brave. Make the change.

Watch your life transform.

You've got this! 💚

Happy weekend my LI friends.

PS. What's your experience with toxic people?

_________________________
♻️ Repost to cut the toxic connection.
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

What if I told you the secret to an unstoppable team is something you can’t buy?

It's not what you think.

Hint: It's free, but most leaders never use it. 👇

Here's how to unlock your team's potential:

↳ Care about your people. Really care.
↳ Lead by example, not by orders.
↳ Listen more than you speak.

Your team isn't just a bunch of workers.
They're humans with dreams and fears.

Treat them like gold, and they'll move mountains for you.

And here's the kicker: it's not about free snacks or ping pong tables.

It's about building a culture of trust, respect, and growth.

Want to level up your leadership game? Try this:

✅ DO:
• Celebrate small wins loudly
• Give honest feedback with kindness
• Ask your team what they need to succeed

❌ DON'T:
• Micromanage (it kills creativity)
• Play favourites (it breeds resentment)
• Ignore mental health (it's as important as physical health)

Great leaders work FOR their team, not the other way around.

Your success is their success.
Their growth is your growth.

So, are you ready to build a culture where everyone wins?

Let's make work awesome together! 💚
_______________________
♻️ Repost to inspire others and build the right legacy
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

Burnout isn't about working too hard.
It's about pretending too much.

For introverts, the real crisis is not the workload.
It's performing extroversion 40 hours a week.

7 signs you're burning out from the performance:

1️⃣ Hiding in your car between meetings.
→ This is not odd. It's survival mode.

2️⃣ "I'm fine!" when you're clearly not.
→ The mask stays on. Always.

3️⃣ Your best work happens after everyone leaves.
→ Because finally, you can stop performing.

4️⃣ Sunday night dread about people, not tasks.
→ Your nervous system already knows what Monday brings.

5️⃣ Social battery dies by Tuesday.
→ You're not weak. You're drained from acting all day.

6️⃣ Calls drain you more than the actual work.
→ It's not the content. It's the constant "on" that kills you.

7️⃣ Recovery takes the whole weekend.
→ Two days to recover from five is not a sustainable equation.

After 20 years in HR, I've watched this pattern destroy talented people.
Not because they weren't strong.
Because they were never given permission to stop pretending.

What helps (for you):
→ Block 10 minutes between meetings. Non-negotiable.
→ Replace one call with async. Protect your voice.
→ Batch high-contact tasks on specific days. Guard one deep-work block.
→ Stop apologizing for needing quiet to think.

What workplaces need to change:
→ Create meeting-free blocks for real work.
→ Default one weekly update to async instead of live.
→ Train managers to lead introverts: advance agendas, written input options.
→ Design offices with actual quiet spaces, not just open-plan buzz.

Your energy is real.
Your limits are legitimate.
Your need for space is not weakness.
It's wiring.

Which sign hit closest to home?

♻️ Repost to help introverts burning out in silence.

💌 Want to thrive without burning out: https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

A manager once told me I was "too soft" to lead.

I had just spent an hour with an employee going through a divorce.
Rearranged her deadlines.
Gave her a week of flexibility before he even knew about it.

He said I was setting a bad precedent.

That was 15 years ago.

I don't know where she is today.
But I know she stayed. She delivered. She made it through.

He got fired two years later for creating a toxic team culture.

Kindness is not weakness.

I've watched leaders confuse fear with respect.
Aggression with strength.
Coldness with professionalism.

All three destroy teams slowly.

The leaders who built lasting performance weren't the toughest.

They were the ones who:

Remembered what people were going through outside of work.
Delivered hard truths without making it personal.
Held the standard and held space at the same time.

Kindness doesn't mean avoiding difficult conversations.
It means having them without destroying someone in the process.

It doesn't mean lowering the bar.
It means helping people clear it.

The teams I've seen collapse weren't led by kind leaders.
They were led by people who mistook cruelty for clarity.

Your people will forget the quarterly targets.

They'll remember how you treated them when life got hard.

Who was the kindest leader you ever worked for?

Enjoy your Sunday in all kindness.

♻️ Repost if you believe kindness and high standards can coexist

Happy New Year to the ones who did not make a highlight reel.

The ones who didn't launch the side hustle.
The ones who skipped the grind to protect their peace.
The ones who chose silence over sprints.

After 20 years in HR, I saw the same pattern every January 1.

Loud success gets rewarded.
Quiet progress gets overlooked.

If you didn't broadcast your wins, they didn't count.
If you took your time, you were "slow."

But here is what performance reviews still don't measure:

↳ The anxiety you carried into every meeting.
↳ The boundaries that protected your energy.
↳ The one hard conversation you finally had.
↳ The quiet leadership that changed someone's year.

If you ended 2025 exhausted instead of celebrated, this is for you.

You don't need a "New Year, New You."
You need more you.

↳ More aligned decisions.
↳ More intentional no's.
↳ More places that fit your nervous system.

In 2026, the goal is not to be louder.
It is to be truer.

You are not behind.
You are playing a game that was never built for you.

This year, build your own.

Happy New Year.

You as you are is enough to build on.

♻️ Know an introvert who needs this? Pass it on.

Stop trying to be a louder leader.

In 20 years as CHRO, I've watched brilliant introverts burn out.
They tried being more visible.
More charismatic.
More loud.

When teams take initiative, introverted leaders drive 28% higher productivity.

Not despite being quiet.
Because of it.

Your quiet leadership is not the problem.
The cult of charisma is.

⬇️ Swipe through to see how quiet leaders actually lead.

💾 Save this before your next leadership moment.
📩 Join ambitious introverts in The A+ Introvert Newsletter → link in carousel or my profile

Networking like an extrovert nearly cost me everything.

More events.
More coffee chats.
More small talk with people I'd never see again.

I thought more connections meant more opportunities.

I was wrong.

What I actually built was exhaustion.
And a contact list full of people I barely remembered.

When I finally dropped that belief, everything changed.

I stopped chasing quantity.
Started protecting my energy.
Invested in fewer people, went way deeper with each one.

The networking events I skipped?
Cost me nothing.

The shallow connections I let go?
Made room for the ones I actually need.

After 20 years as a CHRO, I've watched too many introverts burn out trying to play the extrovert game.

The ones who thrive?

They stop forcing what drains them.
They build their network around how they actually work best.

This weekend, try this:

→ Text one person who genuinely energises you. No agenda. Just checking in.
→ Say no to one thing you were going to push yourself through.
→ Spend 10 minutes in stillness. Introverts don't recharge in crowds. They recharge in quiet.

Letting go of the wrong approach is not giving up.
It's making space for the right one.

What's one thing you're letting go of this weekend?

💚 Happy Friday, friends.

♻️ Repost if you believe success should never require self-erasure.

💌 I write the A+ Introvert Newsletter. Weekly insights for introverts who lead quietly and build deeply. No fluff, ever.→https://lnkd.in/e2Yn259g

We promote the loudest voice.
Then wonder why teams burn out.

I've spent 20 years in leadership.
And I've watched brilliant introverts get overlooked again and again.

They didn't fall short.
They quietly pulled ahead.

Harvard and Wharton research tells us something most companies ignore. Introverted leaders drive:
➜ 28% higher productivity
➜ 84% more engagement
➜ 50% lower turnover

So why do we still mistake quiet for weak?

Because we've built systems that reward volume over value.
Visibility over results.
Performance over substance.

This carousel breaks down:
➜ What the data really says
➜ Why introverts make elite leaders
➜ How to lead with quiet confidence

The quiet ones in your meeting today?

They're not disengaged.
They're processing at a level most leaders never reach.

💾 Save this for your next leadership conversation.
♻️ Share if your culture still mistakes noise for leadership.

Introverts don't need fixing.
Your workplace culture does.

For 20 years, I watched companies try to "improve" their introverted employees.

They sent them to presentation skills workshops.
They placed them in open office layouts.
They nudged them toward noisy networking events.

But they missed what really needed changing.

Meeting norms that reward the loudest voice.
Brainstorms that drown out deep thinkers.
"Collaboration" that looks more like constant interruption.

When I was 32, a VP pulled me aside.
"You're too quiet. That'll hurt your career."

So I tried to become louder.
More visible.
More like everyone else.

Eventually I realized something important.

I wasn't the problem.
The environment was.

Today I'm a CHRO.
Still quiet.
Still thriving.

Not because I changed who I am,
but because I focused on changing the system.

If you're doing this:
❌ Telling introverts to speak up more
❌ Requiring constant collaboration
❌ Assuming quiet means disengaged
❌ Defining culture through happy hours
❌ Rewarding visibility over value

Try this instead:
✅ Send agendas in advance so they can prepare
✅ Start meetings with quiet time for written input
✅ Offer multiple ways to contribute, not just talking
✅ Create quiet zones for focused work
✅ Recognize the impact, not just who talks the most

The most innovative companies don't try to fix introverts.
They build environments where introverts can shine.

Quiet-friendly cultures boost productivity.
Written brainstorming surfaces better ideas.
And your next big idea might be sitting silently in the corner.

The companies losing top talent right now?
They're still trying to make introverts louder.

The ones winning?
They're creating spaces where every style can thrive.

If someone seems too quiet,
maybe the system is too noisy.

Stop trying to change them.
Start changing what's actually not working.

Because a culture that works for introverts
works better for everyone.

💬 What's one small change that could make your workplace more inclusive for quieter thinkers?

♻️ Share if you believe quiet leadership deserves more respect

📩 Join 100K+ ambitious introverts who get free weekly career tips: https://lnkd.in/e7xQPNtn