This article first appeared on Forbes.com.
”What is our intent?”
I’ve been thinking about that question ever since hearing Oprah Winfrey’s closing conversation at this year’s SHRM Annual Conference.
She wasn’t offering easy answers. She was reflecting on two enduring leadership principles: the importance of being intentional about the impact we hope to have and the responsibility we have to protect human dignity.
As I thought about what those ideas mean for today’s workplace, I realized they had become two questions I now ask whenever I have the opportunity to lead.
The first is simple:
“What is our intent?”
The second is equally important:
“Does this preserve and elevate human dignity?”
When Assumptions Get In The Way
Those questions immediately brought me back to a lesson I learned years ago.
Early in my career, I worked for a manager whom, frankly, I didn’t trust. I saw him through a narrow lens and questioned nearly every decision he made. I assumed I knew his motivations and dismissed the possibility that there was more to him than the person I saw at work.
Then I faced one of the most difficult periods of my life after being diagnosed with cancer. Throughout that time, this same manager showed up for me in ways I never would have expected. He came to see me in the hospital every day, supported me through my treatment and became one of my strongest advocates.
At one point, I offered to step down from a leadership role. His response has stayed with me ever since: “I won’t let you make this decision while you’re going through a crisis. If you still feel this way after your treatment, we’ll talk then.”
Looking back, I realize there were two lessons hidden in that experience. The first was deeply personal: how easy it is to reduce someone to our assumptions instead of seeing the whole person.
I had convinced myself I knew who this man was, when in reality he was far more complex and far more compassionate than the story I had created in my own mind. He saw something I couldn’t see in that moment. Over time, our professional relationship evolved into a lasting friendship.
Now, years later, I can connect that experience to a second, broader leadership principle: Preserving human dignity begins with recognizing that every person is more than a job title, a disagreement, a first impression or a difficult moment. Every person has a story, a family and a life outside the confines of the workplace. Equally as important, every person wants to be seen, valued and understood.
That realization has shaped how I lead ever since.
Every leader has a platform. Sometimes it’s a keynote stage. More often, it’s a staff meeting, a performance review, a board presentation or a difficult conversation with an employee. Every time we’re given that platform, we have a choice. We can simply share information, or we can create understanding, connection and positive action.
That’s why the first question matters.
“What is our intent?”
It challenges us to think beyond the task at hand. Are we simply communicating information, or are we creating understanding? Are we giving feedback to evaluate performance or to help someone grow? Are we embracing new technologies solely to improve efficiency, or are we also considering how they affect trust, transparency and the employee experience?
Keeping People At The Center
The second question reminds us that leadership is ultimately about people.
In HR and business, we spend our days looking at dashboards, engagement scores, turnover rates, succession plans and workforce data. Those metrics matter. But behind every statistic is a person. Behind every workforce trend is a human story. Behind every leadership challenge is an individual who wants to be seen, valued and understood.
Most leaders believe they have good intentions. But good intentions alone are not enough. Employees experience leadership through our decisions, behaviors and actions, not our aspirations. The real challenge is closing the gap between intent and impact.
The Constants Of Leadership
Over the course of my career, I’ve led through economic downturns, organizational transformations, shifting workforce demographics and now the rapid rise of AI.
Every era has presented a different business challenge. What hasn’t changed is what people need from their leaders. They want clarity. They want fairness. They want to know they matter. And they want to be treated with dignity, especially when the path ahead is uncertain.
I’ve come to believe that’s precisely when these two questions matter most. In times of uncertainty, leaders often feel compelled to move faster. Yet those are the moments when employees are paying the closest attention. Every leadership moment, from introducing a new strategy to delivering difficult feedback, sends a signal about what the organization values and how it values its people.
A Timeless Responsibility
One of the privileges of my role at Seramount is working with hundreds of organizations as they navigate change, develop leaders and shape their cultures.
Over the years, I’ve noticed a consistent pattern: The organizations making the greatest progress don’t rely on a single initiative or a one-time commitment. They build cultures where respect, fairness and accountability are reflected in everyday leadership decisions. Ultimately, preserving human dignity isn’t a single policy. It’s a pattern of decisions repeated every day.
Business conditions will continue to evolve. Markets will fluctuate. New technologies will reshape how we work. But the importance of leading with intention and treating people with dignity is timeless. In fact, those principles become even more important when the path ahead is uncertain.
Leadership is not just about outcomes. It’s also about how those outcomes are achieved and how people experience the journey. When purpose and human dignity become our guideposts, we create organizations where people don’t simply perform. They flourish.
