As I sat down with Naiara for this podcast, one thought kept resonating in my mind: Why do some organizations thrive not just financially, but also as places where people genuinely want to be? The answer, I believe, lies in the magic of human-centricity—a concept that touches everything from leadership behaviors to company culture and decision-making.
Let’s explore together what it means to embrace a human-centric approach and how it shapes leadership, culture, and the future of organizations. Whether you’re leading a team of five or an enterprise of thousands, there’s something here for everyone.
The starting point: Why Human-Centricity matters
One of the most enlightening parts of our conversation was when Naiara explained why human-centricity is crucial for businesses today. From her perspective, it’s not just the right thing to do—it’s the smart thing to do.
Think about it: human-centricity isn’t just about “being nice.” It’s a powerful driver of sustainable growth. When companies prioritize the needs of their customers, employees, and communities, they build long-term trust. This trust translates into customer loyalty, higher employee engagement, stronger innovation, and even enhanced brand reputation. Naiara summed it up beautifully: “It’s like a win-win situation. You take care of the business, and you take care of people.”
But human-centricity doesn’t happen by accident. As Naiara said, culture will happen either by default or by design. And if you’re serious about creating a thriving, human-centric workplace, you need to be intentional about shaping it.
Leadership: The foundation of culture
Leadership eats culture for breakfast. Yes, I know Peter Drucker’s famous line is “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” but Naiara took it a step further: the way leaders behave defines culture. Leaders set the tone—through their actions, their communication, and how they respond in moments of challenge.
Let me share a powerful example Naiara gave. At one point in her career, she made a mistake and had to call her CEO to own up to it. His response? A masterclass in compassionate leadership. He acknowledged the mistake without sugarcoating it but reframed it as part of a learning journey. “We all make mistakes,” he told her. “What matters is minimizing their impact and learning from them.”
This approach exemplifies human-centric leadership. It’s not about avoiding tough decisions or pretending mistakes don’t happen—it’s about handling those moments in a way that prioritizes humanity and growth.
Psychological safety: The prerequisite for innovation
When we think of high-performing teams, what often comes to mind are technical skills, clear goals, and structured processes. But research—and real-world experience—tells us that one factor consistently outshines the rest: psychological safety.
Naiara shared an experiment that drove this point home. In a challenge to build the tallest structure using marshmallows and spaghetti, kindergarteners outperformed CEOs and lawyers. Why? Because the kids weren’t worried about being judged. They simply collaborated, tried, and adjusted without fear of failure. In contrast, adults often got stuck in self-consciousness, afraid of how they’d be perceived.
In an organizational setting, psychological safety allows teams to experiment, speak up, and unlock their full potential. Without it, even the smartest hires can’t contribute their best ideas.
Measuring Human-Centricity: Turning soft into steerable
One of my ongoing struggles as a CX professional has been convincing skeptics that “soft” concepts like experience and culture are not just fluffy ideas—they have tangible, measurable benefits. Naiara and I dove deep into this challenge.
So how can we measure human-centricity? Naiara suggested looking at metrics across multiple dimensions:
- Customers: NPS, retention rates, and customer satisfaction surveys.
- Employees: Engagement scores and voluntary turnover indicators.
- Culture: Diversity, inclusion, wellbeing and innovation metrics.
But metrics are only part of the picture. We also need to make these concepts actionable. For example, in a recent survey I conducted, we linked emotional engagement to specific leadership behaviors. By showing which actions had the biggest impact on employee and customer satisfaction, we could guide leaders toward more human-centric decision-making.
Designing leadership for a Human-Centric future
If we were to design the perfect leadership development program, what would it look like? Naiara shared three priorities:
- Compassion: Not just empathy, but the active desire to alleviate challenges and empower others. Compassion is actionable, sustainable, and transformative.
- Self-awareness: Leadership starts with understanding oneself—your values, biases, and impact on others.
- Purpose: Leaders must connect with their own purpose and align it with their organization’s mission. When leaders understand their “why,” they can inspire others to do the same.
We also discussed practical ways to bring these ideas to life. For example:
- Run workshops that connect leaders with their own experiences as customers or employees.
- Use 360-degree feedback to help leaders understand their impact.
- Encourage leaders to reflect on the legacy they want to leave—not just financially, but emotionally and culturally.
HR’s role in transformation
Human-centricity isn’t just a leadership issue—it’s embedded in every touchpoint of the employee experience, from onboarding to rewards. HR has a crucial role to play in making human-centricity the norm, not the exception.
One powerful way to start is by defining clear, actionable leadership behaviors. What does your company expect from leaders? Transparency? Recognition? Accountability? Codify these expectations into a leadership manifesto. This makes the values tangible and sets a consistent standard for everyone.
From there, align your processes with those values. For example:
- Recruitment: Don’t just hire for skills; hire for alignment with company values.
- Onboarding: Use the opportunity to immerse new hires in the culture you’re building.
- Rewards: Celebrate behaviors that align with human-centric principles, not just financial results.
A legacy worth leaving
Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Naiara what she hoped her legacy would be. Her answer was simple but profound: to make a positive impact wherever she is—at work, with friends, with family. It’s a reminder that human-centricity isn’t just a business strategy. It’s a way of being.
So here’s my question for you: What kind of legacy do you want to leave as a leader? What will people say about the impact you’ve had—not just on profits, but on the people and communities around you?
I hope this blog has sparked ideas, reflections, and maybe even a few “aha” moments. Let’s continue building a more human-centric world—one decision, one conversation, and one leader at a time.
