The Path Back to Human-Centered Leadership
- Lisa Askins
- Aug 29
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 2
Reclaiming the values we’ve left behind.
We talk about compassion. Sometimes. Often in the language of kindness, empathy, or care.
But what about integrity?
What about dignity?
What about responsibility?
At some point, we lost sight of these values—not because they mattered less, but because our systems made less room for them. Leadership, once rooted in wisdom and moral vision, shifted toward performance and appearance. We praised clarity of direction, but lost clarity of conscience. We prioritized execution, but stopped asking: At what cost? And to whom?
Compassion stayed in the room, but often in softer, more professional, even sentimental forms. Real compassion, though, is not sentimentality. It is courage. It is the willingness to stand with others in their dignity.
Human-Centered Leadership is my way of bringing these deeper values back. At its heart are four living principles:
Integrity – Am I whole, honest, and aligned?
Compassion – Am I honoring our shared humanity?
Dignity – Am I protecting the worth of others?
Responsibility – What is the right thing to do?
These aren’t just abstract values. They’re postures. Practices. Lenses.They shape how we speak, how we decide, how we care, and how we lead.
They are social.
They are ethical.
They are deeply human.
And for too long, they’ve been missing from the center of our leadership discourse.
This series is my way of reclaiming them—not as moral imperatives, but as invitations.
To lead with more presence.
To build with more care.
To return to what makes leadership truly human.
Let’s talk. If you’re navigating change and want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and connection, I’d love to support your next step.
