Insights from the Work
Observations, reflections, and practical guidance on leadership, organizational effectiveness, and the human experience of work.
Leadership is human work.
How we lead is shaped by how we relate to being human.
At StartHuman, we believe leadership effectiveness requires developing more conscious relationships with three fundamental aspects of the human experience: power, fear, and vulnerability.
We call this The StartHuman Way™.
Three invitations to lead with greater awareness, compassion, and choice:
Stand in Service™: Choose commitment over compliance.
Befriend Fear™: Choose presence over protection.
Sit in the Fire™: Choose integrity over relief.
Here, we explore the human side of leadership effectiveness—the patterns, choices, and everyday behaviors that shape our relationships, our impact, and the cultures we create.
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Why Do Leaders Exist?
We assume leaders know why they exist. But after 20 years in leadership development, I've learned that's often not the case. When leadership purpose isn't intentionally defined, people are left to figure it out for themselves—and the people they lead experience the consequences. Here's why it's time to stop leaving leadership to chance.
Wow, You Have a Strategic Plan!
If the measure of success is simply having a strategic plan, you’ve completed an exercise. Strategic planning should do more—creating the clarity and alignment people need to understand where you’re going and how they contribute.
Standing in Service as a Leader (P3)
Most organizations think of employment as a simple transaction:
dollars for time.
Or dollars for output.
But modern work asks people to contribute far more than labor alone.
Organizations ask for creativity, adaptability, emotional labor, collaboration, innovation, and discretionary effort.
If people are bringing all of that to work, what are leaders offering in return?
Standing in Service as a Leader (P2)
Many leaders inherit a model of leadership centered around control, performance, and being “the boss.”
But leadership was never meant to be about being served by people.
It’s meant to serve the people and the work.
Because the conditions leaders create shape whether people move toward compliance, or toward meaningful commitment.
Standing in Service as a Leader (P1)
Leadership always involves power.
The question is not whether power exists.
The question is how we relate to it.
Some leaders avoid power.
Some use power over people.
Others learn to use power to and with people.
And that relationship shapes far more than performance.
It shapes how people experience work itself.
Most Company Values Are False Advertising
Most organizations have values.
They sound right.
They look polished.
But they’re not actually used to lead.
When values aren’t clear enough to guide behavior—or consistently used in decisions—they stop shaping culture and start creating frustration.
This is where the gap forms between what’s stated and what people actually experience.
And people notice.
Why Traditional Job Descriptions Don’t Work (And What to Use Instead)
Traditional job descriptions often create compliance, not clarity. When leaders rely on static role definitions, they miss the opportunity to create real ownership, accountability, and commitment.
The Most Underused Leadership Tools in the Workplace
Purpose, vision, and values are often treated as statements on a wall. But when leaders use them intentionally, they become powerful tools for creating clarity, accountability, and commitment.