Why Jennifer Chan Makes Employee Engagement Her Leadership Compass

Jennifer Chan is the Chief People Officer of FRAME. True to her title, her expertise and passion lie in employee engagement. Here, she explores how companies can help their people grow independently while offering safe, respectful, and authentic work environments that spark inspiration.

Shiwon Oh: Based on your professional journey, what is a strong work community, and what isn’t?

Jennifer Chan: A strong work community is one where people feel genuinely empowered to be curious, ask the questions that others are afraid to ask, make mistakes without being defined by them, and learn out loud without embarrassment. It’s an environment where growth isn’t just encouraged in theory but protected in practice.

When people feel that kind of empowerment, they stop playing it safe and start bringing their best thinking to the table. The healthiest teams I’ve been a part of weren’t the ones with the most talent; they were the ones where people felt free enough to fully use their talent. That freedom is what separates a good team from a truly great one. It’s less about the perks and more about the culture of care and trust that leaders model every single day.

What a strong work community isn’t is one without accountability. I’ll be honest. I’ve grown weary of “psychological safety” being used as a shield for unkind behavior. True community isn’t a blanket permission slip to say whatever you want in the name of authenticity. Bringing your whole self to work is a beautiful thing, but your whole self should still include respect for the people around you. The strongest teams I’ve seen aren’t the ones where anything goes. They’re the ones where people feel safe to be honest and human, while still holding themselves to a standard of how they treat others.

Belonging and accountability aren’t opposites. The best communities hold both.

SO: Can you describe a moment you experienced workplace belonging and how it empowered you to excel?

JC: My answer to the first question is a real-life example. I didn’t make up that feeling of empowerment I described, where you can freely be curious, test and fail, and never feel foolish for your decisions. I lived it. Early in my career, a leader and a team gave me that gift, and it opened me up to a growth mindset I carry to this day.

Fresh out of college and into the workforce, I was usually the youngest person in the room. I had ideas, but quickly learned that ideas without tenure were often met with polite dismissal. So when I hit a wall or faced a challenge, I’d go to my leader, and instead of just giving me the answer, he’d turn it right back around by asking, “How do you think you should handle this?” Every single time. He asked questions, supported my thought process, and then backed my decisions.

What this practice did for me was profound. It helped solve the problem and built something in me. I developed an internal framework and a habit of asking myself the right questions before jumping into action. My confidence compounded over time. I stopped second-guessing myself and started trusting my own instincts.

He invested in my career by investing in my ability to think, and that’s a gift that has never left me.

SO: What do you hope will be a cultural norm for the next generation of workers?

JC: I hope the next generation learns not just to be curious, but to do something with that curiosity. There’s a difference between having questions and going to find the answers, and that gap is where learning stalls and momentum dies.

What I want to see become the norm is the ability to independently fish for information—to think critically about what you’re hearing, reading, and observing, and fact-check your own understanding before accepting it as truth.

The workplace will always have mentors and leaders willing to guide, but waiting to be taught everything is a lag that costs both the individual and the team. The best professionals I’ve seen at every level are the ones who don’t wait for information to come to them. They pursue and pressure-test it, and then they act.

Curiosity is the spark, and initiative is what turns it into growth. I hope that combination becomes the expectation.

SO: How do you personally invest in your team members to set them up for present and future success?

JC: I start by getting genuinely curious about each person: what they’re good at, and what lights them up. Those aren’t always the same, and the gap between them is where a lot of talent quietly burns out. So I observe closely, ask questions, and listen for what they may not even be saying out loud yet.

From there, I lean in. I provide guidance on career decisions and development, not by telling people what to do, but by helping them see their own path more clearly. I want them walking away from our conversations with more confidence in their direction and less dependence on mine.

But the part I am most intentional about is helping them build their career brand. It’s one thing to believe in someone. It’s another to make sure the right people believe in them, too. I actively work to help others see the same potential I already see. That means advocating in rooms they’re not in, creating visibility for their wins, and positioning them for opportunities before they even know to ask for them.

SO: What are some best practices you would recommend for leaders seeking to cultivate an uplifting work environment?

JC: First and foremost, know your audience and what they need—and understand that what people need and what they want are not always the same. Needs are the foundation. They are what stabilize the environment, create consistency, and give people solid ground to stand on.

When you lead with meeting needs first, you build. You create the stepping stone from which everything else becomes possible.

Once that foundation is set, the wants naturally follow. The desires people reach for become earned rewards built on top of something real and sustainable.

Second, lead with accountability, yours included. If you want a team that owns its mistakes and learns from them, you have to go first. Normalize saying, “I got that wrong, here’s what I’d do differently.” It’s the single fastest way to give your team permission to be human.

Third, make recognition specific and intentional. Vague praise is almost worse than none at all because people can feel when it’s hollow. But telling someone exactly what they did and why it mattered sticks in their memory. That’s what makes people want to bring their best again tomorrow.

And finally, listen to understand, not to respond. Your team will tell you everything you need to know to lead them well. The question is whether you are truly present enough to hear it.

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