Effective leaders have known for several years the value of caring about people and demonstrating this feeling through action. Empathy is helping people feel important and respected. People like to feel that their opinions are taken seriously and that they have input into matters affecting their work. People are individuals with a life that goes beyond the job and they want this fact to be acknowledged. Ironically, when people feel that their manager is not concerned about them and only care about the company and shareholder value, they may withhold their trust and the discretionary effort (effort that goes above and beyond the call of duty).
When people feel that their manager generally cares about them as individuals and shows this concern through their actions, they will go the extra mile in their work performance. This show of concern has a positive effect on their self-esteem and how they feel about their job. They may not be one of the 70% of people dread going to work each day, when they have a leader who practices empathy.
The Self-Esteem Destruction Kit is a parody. When you read it think of doing the opposite. However, there may be value in comparing your actions to those implicated in the poem.