After stepping off the field following a recent practice, newly signed 49ers right guard Mike Person was asked about the biggest change he’s noticed since his first stint with the team ended in 2012.

Person began by turning around and pointing at Levi’s Stadium — “That wasn’t here before,” he said, smiling — before he pointed to a difference in the head coaches he’s had with the 49ers.

“With coach (Jim) Harbaugh, we were nose to grindstone all the time — 100 percent work,” Person said. “That’s not to say that’s not the case right now, because we are definitely out here working, but we’re having some fun while we’re doing it.”

Four seasons after Harbaugh’s exit, the 49ers appear poised to have another renaissance directed by a well-respected offensive mind, but Kyle Shanahan is doing so with a leadership style that has a lighter touch.

The yoga-practicing Shanahan, 38, is the NFL’s second-youngest head coach, and unofficially the only one in league history who has named his son after a rapper. Yes, he’s a Lil Wayne devotee who shares his players’ taste in music, among other interests that wouldn’t have appealed to Vince Lombardi: In May, Shanahan and his 8-year-old son joined a group of players at an MMA event, Bellator 199, in San Jose.

Shanahan will not only socialize with players, he’ll also sweat with them: In April, he invited Navy SEALs to Santa Clara to promote team bonding and he and general manager John Lynch joined the 49ers in some of the training. The SEAL training came near the start of an offseason program that ended with Shanahan canceling the final practice of their minicamp in June for a family day.

“He’s definitely relatable,” wide receiver Marquise Goodwin said. “Being younger, his choice of music, his swag, his style: It’s definitely easy for the players to communicate with him, be around him and listen to him.”

Make no mistake: Shanahan isn’t a softie.

Take a recent three-day stretch, for example.

On Wednesday, Shanahan sounded downright Lombardiesque when he said he was “surprised” Joshua Garnett hadn’t returned to practice, a clear signal he viewed the right guard’s knee injury as relatively minor. On Thursday, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh termed Shanahan “vicious” in breaking down game video, and noted he demands the same attention to detail from coaches and players. Finally, Shanahan called the team together Friday near the start of a sloppy practice to deliver a terse get-it-together message.

However, Shanahan didn’t rant. And tight end Garrett Celek, 30, said players appreciate that his straightforward messages don’t come with screaming.

“I think does a really good job of talking to us like men,” Celek said. “He expects a lot out of us, but he gives us respect. And we give him respect back. It’s simple: He’s good to us and we’re good to him.”

Shanahan’s ability to relate to players explains how the 49ers signed All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman in March. Lynch is viewed as the more polished communicator, but Sherman’s free-agent visit began with a four-hour dinner with Shanahan and their wives in Los Gatos that included a frank discussion about Sherman’s forceful personality. The next day, Sherman, who expected to visit multiple teams, signed with the 49ers.

Person played for Shanahan in 2015 with the Falcons, when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator, and he was thrilled to reconnect this season. Person is among five players who had Shanahan as a coordinator who have signed with the 49ers since he became their head coach.

“He’s never fake; he never brings false enthusiasm,” Person said. “And he’s just on it 100 percent, all the time, in the zone, ready to go … There’s something about him that you just know: You’re willing to go fight for this guy.”

Shanahan, of course, also commands attention because of his acumen: His offenses ranked among the NFL’s top 10 in six of his nine seasons as a coordinator, and the 49ers had their second-highest ranking (12th) since 2003 with Shanahan calling plays last year.

“It’s not hard to follow that guy because he knows what he’s doing,” said center Weston Richburg, who signed with the 49ers in March.

Shanahan’s Xs-and-Os ability was the main reason the 49ers hired him, but his understanding of team dynamics and issues such as the effects of social media on modern-day players have proved to be assets: A host of players have credited Shanahan, as well as Lynch, for the 49ers’ close-knit locker room.

One of Shanahan’s guiding philosophies in free agency is that big contracts can’t be given to talented players whose work ethic doesn’t match their skill. Since Shanahan arrived, the 49ers’ biggest free-agent deals have been given to Pierre Garcon, a gritty wide receiver whom Shanahan coached in Washington, and Richburg and running back Jerick McKinnon, under-the-radar names Shanahan viewed as ideal fits in his offense and in the locker room.

Shanahan has often said other players notice which of their teammates are being well-compensated. And signing a diva to a big deal can send the message that a lack of commitment will be rewarded.

“If you bring in the wrong type of guys in free agency, I think it’s one of the most underrated things in how much that can hurt your team,” Shanahan said. “You want to bring in the best players possible, but they have to be the right type of person.”

Last week, one of the 49ers’ most decorated players — Sherman — was beaten badly on a deep route by Goodwin during a one-on-one drill. It came during Sherman’s first padded practice since he sustained a torn Achilles in November and video of Goodwin’s domination went viral.

Shanahan, however, saw Sherman’s effort as a great teaching moment. During a team meeting, he reviewed the play and noted that Sherman immediately tested himself against one of the league’s fastest players.

The takeaway: Sherman’s desire to improve in practice dwarfed his fear of failure. Shanahan is concerned that less-established players don’t have the same mind-set in an age where training camps are scrutinized far closer than past years.

“That stuff worries me for players because now I’m afraid they’re going to go there and be like, ‘Man, I know you want to try this new thing, but I don’t want this to go viral for the next week; I don’t want people to say I can’t throw this type of ball,’” Shanahan said. “Then they don’t get better and they just try to survive the day so they can please people who don’t really know what they’re working on. It takes a very mentally strong person to not care about that.”

Shanahan was even more expansive on the topic during a recent news conference. And his sessions with reporters have continued to be marked by the type of insight rarely associated with NFL head coaches, who often guard team-related minutiae with military level secrecy.

On Friday, Shanahan was asked about something Celek had said the previous day about how players needed to “overcome coaching.” In a 279-word response, Shanahan explained it was his phrase. And it was a message to players to use their athletic instincts and not be beholden to a playbook assignment.

“It’s a nice way of trying to tell a player, ‘Don’t be a robot,’” Shanahan said. “You know, ‘Coach, that’s what you told me to do.’ ‘Well yeah, I drew it on paper versus Cover 3 and you got Cover 2. It’s not the exact same. Now you’ve got to do this.’ Sometimes you’ve got to overcome coaching. I apologize for not calling it versus the right coverage.”

More significantly, Shanahan has given direct answers on more sensitive topics. In April, when linebacker Reuben Foster was facing domestic-violence charges that were later dropped, Shanahan said any 49ers player who hit a woman would be released. Last year, he was just as clear while supporting his players’ right to not stand for the national anthem.

Shanahan’s transparency has helped highlight his humility and humanity.

On Friday, he was asked about running back Joe Williams, whom he convinced Lynch to draft last year, and admitted he’s since wondered if he made a mistake given the lingering questions about Williams’ commitment. The previous day, Shanahan said he’d ordered quarterback C.J. Beathard to leave the team this weekend so he could see his grandfather, Bobby, a former NFL general manager, get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Much of this contrasts with the image of Shanahan before he joined the 49ers: He was often portrayed as the silver-spooned son of a legendary NFL coach who was entitled and arrogant.

Shanahan said it wasn’t just public perception. In recent years, as he went on multiple job interviews, he was struck by how many questions from prospective employers were about his personality and people skills.

“You go on a bunch of interviews and I always felt like, ‘Man, no one really knows who the heck I am,’” Shanahan said in March. “And that’s fine. I always felt if you’re in it long enough, and you’re consistent in who you are, and you don’t change, usually it ends up coming around for you.”

It’s clearly come around for Shanahan: He’s proved to be a coach who not only can call plays, but also can connect.

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch