Listen more than talk: A midyear leadership guide from the front lines of people management
In a business landscape that’s shifting faster than most of us feel we can keep up with, three veteran talent experts have cracked the code on what leadership really means at this midpoint of the year. From benefits innovation to business ownership by employees, these execs prove that authentic leadership isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about asking the right questions and treating people like, well, people.
Listen first, lead second
“The task for HR is figuring out how we appreciate and understand what different segments of employees need and care about,” said Kristina Welke, vp of strategy, solutions and marketing at New York Life Group Benefit Solutions. Welke has made listening the cornerstone of her leadership philosophy, recognizing that today’s workforce spans multiple generations with vastly different expectations.
The sentiment resonates strongly with Paul Marchand, Charter Communications’ executive vp and CHRO, who has turned employee feedback into a competitive advantage. “We regularly listen to our employees,” Marchand said, describing how town halls and listening sessions across the country led to his company’s innovative Employee Stock Purchase Plan. “What we learned was their desire to be with the company long-term and play an ownership role.”
The data backs up the approach — when leaders listen, magic can happen. Charter’s 93% 401(k) participation rate isn’t an accident — it’s the result of understanding what employees truly want and need.
Show you care—or watch them go
Rodney Bolden, executive director and head of industry engagement at Morgan Stanley at Work, has witnessed the workforce evolve through distinct phases — from the Great Resignation to the Great Rehiring, the Great Reshuffling and the Great Betrayal. Now, as he sees it, we’re experiencing the Great Detachment. And it isn’t just an HR problem — it’s a leadership crisis.
With fewer than 2 in 5 employees believing someone at work cares about them as a person, Bolden emphasizes that leaders must actively demonstrate their investment in employee wellbeing. “If employers don’t show they care, why should employees make that commitment?” he said.
Almost half of employees who left their jobs cited benefits as the top reason for their departure. But forward-thinking leaders understand that it’s not just about offering benefits, it’s about offering the right ones. “Work-life balance consistently ranks as what motivates employees to stay, but it’s increasingly about the ‘life’ part,” Bolden said.
That mirrors Welke’s own approach to benefits communication. She challenges the traditional annual enrollment model, advocating for continuous education and engagement. “I think so many of us think about it like we spend 20 minutes on it once a year, and that’s wrong,” she said. “It should be ongoing.”
Embrace humanity
As AI reshapes entire industries, these leaders share a view that puts human connection should always come first.
As such, Bolden recognizes that today’s workforce needs personalized solutions. “Financial wellness has evolved dramatically: 20 years ago, it was just four education modules — credit, debt management, budgeting and retirement,” he said. “Now we have over 50,000 education modules because people have differentiated financial challenges.”
The most effective leaders don’t assume they know what their people need — they ask. Bolden advocates for a diagnostic approach: “Just like a doctor wouldn’t prescribe medicine without an examination, employers need to assess before implementing solutions.”
Still, only some one-third of companies conduct financial wellness needs assessments, even though that foundational step is elemental to effective leadership.
It’s akin to the listening approach championed by both Welke and Marchand. Understanding how needs vary across demographics — geography, job title, gender, generation — lets leaders create targeted solutions rather than one-size-fits-all ones.
Invest in people’s future
A telling insight comes from how these leaders think about employees’ investment in their companies. Marchand explains that Charter’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan isn’t just a benefit — it’s a statement of faith in shared success. “When this worker takes that withdrawal from their biweekly paycheck, that’s a tremendous statement,” he said. “They’re more ‘in’ than anybody else getting it as part of their normal comp plan.”
Bolden echoes that sentiment, noting that equity compensation can lead to something powerful: “It creates an ownership culture — when your job is not only your job but also your wealth-building instrument, that changes your attitude about the company.”
Welke has observed this same principle in action through New York Life’s Balance Wellbeing program, which helps employees define their financial gaps and increase confidence. Whether employees prefer self-directed learning or human guidance, the offering provides flexible support options that meet people where they are.
Leadership is personal
What emerges from these conversations is a leadership philosophy that’s at the same time simple and revolutionary: treat people as individuals with unique needs, listen more than you talk, and invest in their success as if your business depends on it — because it does.
In an time of infinite distractions and AI-powered everything, these leaders remind their colleagues that the most potent technology remains distinctly human: the ability to connect, understand and genuinely care about the people who make business possible.
“I think it’s really paving a path to offer those options that truly any generation could leverage,” Welke said. “And to me, I think it’s very exciting, because I think we could all benefit from the improved experience.”