Finding Your Softer Side: A “Manager as Therapist” Approach to Better Teams

Author Companion Summary

This page is an author companion summary of my published Cutter article:

Pruseth, D., & Subramanian, P. (2022). Finding Your Softer Side: A “Manager as Therapist” Approach to Better Teams. Cutter.

Summary

Managers are often evaluated on delivery, planning, execution, and performance outcomes. However, successful team leadership also depends on a softer set of human skills: listening, empathy, emotional awareness, trust-building, and the ability to understand what team members may be experiencing beneath the surface.

This companion summary discusses the idea of the “manager as therapist” as a practical leadership metaphor. It does not suggest that managers should replace trained mental health professionals. Rather, it emphasizes that managers can learn from therapeutic qualities such as active listening, non-judgmental communication, emotional sensitivity, and careful observation of team dynamics.

In modern workplaces, teams face pressure from deadlines, uncertainty, digital transformation, remote work, role ambiguity, and performance expectations. Under such conditions, purely task-oriented management may not be enough. Managers need to understand the emotional climate of the team and create an environment where people feel safe to speak, ask for help, admit mistakes, and share concerns.

A manager using this softer approach pays attention not only to what employees deliver, but also to how they feel, communicate, collaborate, and cope with pressure. The focus shifts from managing tasks alone to understanding people as individuals with motivations, fears, aspirations, and personal working styles.

The “manager as therapist” approach can support better teams in several ways. It can improve psychological safety, reduce hidden conflict, strengthen trust, and help managers identify early signs of disengagement or stress. It can also encourage more meaningful conversations between managers and employees, especially when teams are navigating change or uncertainty.

However, the approach must be applied responsibly. Managers should not attempt to diagnose, counsel, or treat employees. Their role is to listen, support, guide, and escalate to appropriate professional resources when needed. The value of the metaphor lies in encouraging managers to bring more empathy, patience, and emotional intelligence into everyday leadership.

In summary, the article argues that better teams are built not only through processes, tools, and performance metrics, but also through human understanding. Managers who develop their softer side can create more resilient, open, and high-performing teams.

Suggested Citation

Pruseth, D., & Subramanian, P. (2022). Finding Your Softer Side: A “Manager as Therapist” Approach to Better Teams. Cutter.