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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Sitting in the Fire as a Leader (P1)
Vulnerability can feel uncomfortable, awkward, and downright weird. And when it does, our desire for relief can quickly pull us out of integrity. Explore how vulnerability shapes our reactions and choices, often without us even realizing it.
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.
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.
Conscious Medicine: A Reference Guide for Leaders
Leadership isn’t shaped in theory. It’s shaped in the moments where fear, power, and vulnerability are present.
This guide explores conscious medicine—breathwork, plant medicine, and integration—as a way to work at the level where patterns actually live: the nervous system.
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.
Befriending Fear at Work (P3)
Fear doesn’t disappear in leadership moments—it shows up. Emotionally intelligent leaders learn how to stay with it. This article explores breath, the 4As, and self-compassion as practical ways to be with fear in real time.
Befriending Fear at Work (P2)
Fear doesn’t start in our thoughts—it begins in the body. Emotionally intelligent leaders learn to recognize fear through sensation, behavior, and reflection, expanding their awareness and increasing their ability to choose how they respond
The StartHuman Way™
Leadership shapes culture.
Not through values or programs, but through how leaders relate to power, fear, and vulnerability.
The StartHuman Way™ offers a different approach—one that focuses on the internal capacity required to lead and create meaningful, lasting culture.
Befriending Fear at Work (P1)
Fear has a strange reputation in our culture. We’re told strong leaders are fearless, but fear is not a flaw in the human system—it’s a survival response built into the brain. Emotionally intelligent leaders don’t eliminate fear. They change their relationship with it.
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.
Is 360 Feedback Right for Your Leaders?
360 feedback can provide powerful insight for leaders — but only when the conditions are right. Without trust, clarity, and the capacity to receive feedback, the tool can backfire.
What If We Stopped Taking Things So Personally?
When leaders take things personally, it often signals a protective response rather than a present one. What becomes possible when we meet feedback, tension, and disagreement with curiosity instead?
“I’m Triggered”: A Call to Radical Responsibility
“I’m triggered” is often used to explain strong emotional reactions at work. But leadership requires more than naming the reaction—it requires taking responsibility for how we respond.
What Coaching Is and What It Isn’t
Leadership coaching isn’t advice, training, or consulting. At its best, coaching helps leaders develop the awareness and responsibility needed to grow their leadership capacity.
Culture Is Not What We Preach. It's What We Permit.
Organizational culture is not defined by what leaders say they value. It’s shaped by what leaders tolerate, reinforce, and allow to continue.
Why We Offer Dare to Lead™: Practicing Courage at Work
Leadership requires courage. Dare to Lead helps leaders develop the emotional skills and self-awareness needed to lead with courage, connection, and compassion.