When Human Beings Come Before Job Titles
My good friend Robert recently urged me to speak at a leadership summit in Africa.
“They could really benefit from your experience,” he said, eyes bright with enthusiasm.
I laughed and answered, “Perhaps. But I’d go because I could learn from them.”
What East Africa Taught Me
Over the past few years, I’ve partnered with companies across East Africa, from Nairobi fintech start-ups to purpose-driven logistics firms on the shores of Lake Victoria. Everywhere I went, I encountered the same quiet principle:
When someone speaks to you, they are addressing a person before they’re addressing a role.
No org-chart hierarchy, no title inflation—just person-to-person connection. It disarmed me at first, then reshaped my thinking. Because if leadership is anything, it’s a human relationship built on trust, not a mechanical transaction built on metrics.
Europe’s Superpower—and Blind Spot
Here in Europe we celebrate structure, process, and precision. They are our superpowers. Yet the very dashboards that make us faster can also make us forgetful—forgetful that the numbers stand for people, and that a line on a spreadsheet traces the story of someone’s day, someone’s ambition, someone’s life.
The moment we reduce a colleague to a column of KPIs is the moment we trade connection for convenience. And connection, as every thriving culture shows us, is where the real leverage lives.
Technology as an Amplifier, Not a Substitute
AI, automation, remote everything—these are magnificent tools. But tools can either extend our humanity or eclipse it. The leaders who will shape the next decade won’t merely deploy technology; they will humanize it. They will ask:
How does this platform deepen empathy?
How does this data help us serve each other better?
How does this algorithm free people to focus on what only humans can do—dream, imagine, care?
The future belongs to the leaders who keep people at the center while the pixels and processors hum in the background.
A Mirror, Not a Map
The East African workplaces I visited did not hand me a map to success; they offered a mirror. They reminded me that leadership begins with presence, curiosity, and the humility to listen before you speak. And that’s a universal truth—whether you’re in Kampala or Copenhagen, Kigali or Kraków.
So yes, I’ll accept Robert’s invitation. Not to stand on a stage and deliver answers, but to sit in a circle and trade questions. Because the leaders who change the world are not the ones who know more—they’re the ones who care more.
Conscious Leadership Tip #18
Start every meeting by asking a genuinely human question
“What energized you this morning?”
“What’s one obstacle you’re facing right now?”
Listen fully before moving to the agenda. When people feel seen first, they bring their whole selves to the work—and the results follow.