Leaders Are People Too

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 “𝘣𝘢𝘥” 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘥? 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯.

We love to say “people don’t leave bad jobs—they leave bad bosses.”

But what if that “bad boss” is just... misunderstood?

We expect leaders to set the tone, manage the culture, and take responsibility for their team’s experience—and rightly so. A leader’s impact on morale and retention is undeniable. That’s why we pour time and money into leadership development: so they can better support and adapt to their teams.

But here’s the flip side we rarely talk about: while we train leaders to understand their people, we almost never train people to understand their leaders.

Leaders take personality assessments. They study communication styles. They work on adapting to others. But employees rarely get the tools—or the perspective—to see their leaders as people too. People with their own quirks, stress responses, and communication defaults.

That “cold” email or rushed thank-you might not be a sign of disrespect. It might be a reflection of how that leader naturally operates. When we assume malice or incompetence instead of difference, we miss an opportunity—for grace, for clarity, and for better working relationships.

What if we saw leaders as people too?

✅ If we assumed good intent before assuming bad leadership

✅ If we asked: “What’s your communication style?” instead of “Why are you like this?”

✅ If we didn’t wait for perfect alignment—practicing curiosity when things feel off

✅ If we talked about how our 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 like to receive feedback or appreciation—and encouraged them to ask you, their leaders, too

What do you wish others understood about what it’s really like to lead?

You’re not the only one asking that question. Let’s lead out loud—together.