Be More Human

The mantra Be more human has been at the heart of my work for years. It’s more than my business name—it’s an invitation to a way of being. In my retreats or coaching sessions, I'll often open with an intentional reminder about being humans first.

It seems obvious, but how often are we oblivious to this reality?

The roles we play

So often, we show up with roles—employees, leaders, parents, consultants, clients, teachers, students, and spouses. We wear these hats so tightly we forget the human underneath.

And yet, we are souls before roles.

Even beyond these typical roles, it's all too easy to be in certain modes where we operate like machines designed for efficiency, gods presiding over others, or spectators on the sidelines. How often do we find ourselves lulled into merely playing the part of consumer, performer, cog, go-getter, provider, beneficiary, role model, and yet have the haunting feeling that we are so much more than these roles?

We fall into grooves and live our lives on autopilot, dehumanizing ourselves and others in the process.

Humanity on a spectrum

Being more human is a reminder that our humanity lives on a spectrum, and all of it is available to us at any moment - from being inhumane, to going through the motions, to experiencing and expressing the fullness of the lives we live.

What does being human mean to you? I attempted to share five pillars in my book, Dear Stellar, that to be human is to wonder, create, persist, love, and be. I think it's important that we all at least ask ourselves the question and intentionally align our lives around that North Star.

When we're more human, we come alive. When organizations are more human, they thrive, and they become as extraordinary as the people within them.

Some practical ways of being more human:

• Acknowledge our shared humanity — I always sense a sigh of relief when I open a retreat, recognizing that we all have hopes and fears, beliefs and blindspots. Oh, we don't have to play that role or that game here, and we can simply be ourselves? 
• Interrupt patterns — We all find ourselves in systems from family routines to capitalism. What's something you can get curious about disrupting or merely asking the question, why? Nothing needs to be the way it's always been.
• Let yourself dream — And dream big. Give yourself permission to set aside the 'but what about's...'. You don't need to lock yourself into doing a single thing about it. Nothing needs to be manifested. Just allow yourself feel what it's like. Better yet, dream out loud with others.
• Check-in, don't just check up — Create space to explore the human deeper within. Tuning into an internal state is far more powerful than an external project status. What feelings have you been feeling? What needs have you had lately? Name them and allow yourself to be fully present to it all.
• Share belonging cues — We have been conditioned to send signals of power, independence, survival, or distraction through culture and technology. Actively practice offering genuine cues of belonging that create a sense of safety and trust. This can be through eye contact, body language, inclusive language, empathizing, and sharing openly.

All of this 'humaning' is a bit messy and might leave you feeling a bit exposed, but isn't this the stuff of life?

For organizations—vulnerability leads to more invulnerable teams that are far more resilient in facing any challenge (hat tip to Daniele Coyle’s The Culture Code for inspiring this thought - a must-read for all of us in teams).

How might you step into your humanity today? How can you lead with vulnerability, break old patterns, and foster more meaningful connections? Start small, but start now. Our shared future depends on it.