2025 Leadership Challenge: Lead with CARE

Jan 9, 2025

Mike Baumgartner, Sr. Space Operations Strategist at Acuity Innovations LLC

2025 Leadership Challenge: Lead with CARE

As a young Noncommissioned Officer in the US Air Force, I had the privilege of learning from exceptional supervisors and mentors. Their advice shaped my leadership philosophy, distilled into a simple yet powerful acronym: CARE—Communication, Accountability, Respect, and Empathy. These foundational principles remain at the core of effective leadership.

Foundational Principles of CARE

Communication: Clearly define expectations while fostering open dialogue and feedback.
Accountability: Promote responsibility through consistent verification of actions and outcomes.
Respect: Treat everyone with dignity and recognize their intrinsic value.
Empathy: Seek to understand others' perspectives, thoughts, and feelings.

As my leadership approach evolved, I integrated four attributes to deepen emotional intelligence and maturity. These align seamlessly with CARE’s principles: Connectedness, Adaptability, Resilience, and Empowerment.

Emotionally Intelligent Attributes

Connectedness: Build a sense of belonging by recognizing and sharing experiences and emotions.
Adaptability: Cultivate flexibility to respond effectively to change and uncertainty.
Resilience: Encourage emotional recovery and well-being in the face of adversity.
Empowerment: Inspire confident decision-making and ownership of actions.

Pairing Principles and Attributes

Leading with CARE means pairing principles with attributes to enhance impact:

Communication with Connectedness: Foster trust and understanding through meaningful dialogue.
Accountability with Adaptability: Balance structure with flexibility to drive results.
Respect with Resilience: Demonstrate strength and dignity during challenges.
Empathy with Empowerment: Understand and uplift others to help them thrive.

Leadership is a continuous journey, and leading with CARE equips leaders to navigate complex environments while empowering their teams. Let’s embrace these principles and attributes to drive meaningful impact in 2025 and beyond.