What do I owe the people who work under me?

It is a good sign that you are even asking. Many leaders never do. But you have noticed something true. The demands of the work keep crowding out the question, and the question matters more than most of the work. What you owe your people is not a soft extra. It is the center of the job. You owe them honesty, so they are not guessing where they stand. You owe them your attention, real attention, not the half kind you give while checking your phone. You owe them a fair shot and a clear reason when things go against them. Most of all you owe them the sense that they are people to you, not just hands that get things done. The demands will never stop crowding in. So do not wait for a free day to be a good leader, because it will not come. Pick one person this week and give them ten unhurried minutes, fully present, asking how they really are. Small and steady beats grand and rare. That is how the debt gets paid.