When I first created the Humanistic Leadership Model (HLM©) in 2015, it wasn’t out of academic curiosity—it was out of concern. After decades of studying, practicing, and teaching leadership across industries and cultures, I began to see a growing instability in how people were leading themselves and others. Organizations were producing results, yes, but at the cost of burnout, disconnection, and fear. It became clear that our dominant leadership paradigms—rooted in control, efficiency, and hierarchy—were no longer sustainable.
What we needed wasn’t another management theory. We needed a mindset—a more human, conscious way forward.
Where It Began
The seeds of HLM were planted years earlier. In 2010, I had published The Best Manager: Getting Better Results WITH People, a book that emphasized the “with” over the “for.” I wanted to shift focus from output to relationship, from results alone to results through people. But even then, something was missing.
The leadership literature of the last hundred years had confused leadership with management, often using the terms interchangeably. The word “coaching” appeared rarely, and systems thinking—understanding how all parts of an organization are interconnected—was largely absent from mainstream leadership writing. Most management advice was packaged as quick fixes, the most famous being The One Minute Manager. It was clever and digestible, but leadership isn’t a one-minute act—it’s a lifetime practice of self-awareness, reflection, and growth.
I wanted to develop something more comprehensive, more grounded in human development and systems thinking. And so, the Humanistic Leadership Model was born.
The Early Vision
The HLM was designed as a sustainable framework for leading self and others. It combined three foundational pillars:
- Self-Awareness – understanding who we are, what we value, and how our behaviors affect others.
- Systems Thinking – recognizing the interdependence of people, processes, and outcomes.
- Humanistic Leadership – leading with empathy, respect, and compassion to support both people and organizational sustainability.
It wasn’t meant to be a checklist or a personality type—it was (and still is) a journey. The model challenged leaders to start within: to know themselves deeply, manage consciously, lead with empathy, and coach others toward growth.
In those early years, HLM gained traction among my graduate students and executive workshop participants around the world. People resonated with its simplicity and depth. They saw that sustainable leadership wasn’t about charisma or control—it was about consciousness.
The Pandemic and a Shift in Awareness
Then the world changed.
When the pandemic struck, we all faced an enemy we couldn’t see. Offices closed, routines collapsed, and uncertainty spread faster than the virus itself. Suddenly, leadership wasn’t about financial targets or quarterly reviews—it was about human survival, emotional connection, and trust.
Something profound happened during that time: people began to look inward. I noticed a collective shift in self-awareness and purpose. Students, executives, and colleagues began asking deeper questions:
- What truly matters?
- How do I sustain myself and others during uncertainty?
- What does it mean to lead with humanity?
The Humanistic Leadership Model became not just relevant but essential. Leaders realized they couldn’t motivate others without understanding their own fears, limits, and strengths. Managers learned that connection—not compliance—was the bridge to resilience. Coaching became the new form of management.
A New Momentum
Since the pandemic, I’ve witnessed renewed momentum around humanistic leadership. Across industries and cultures, people are hungry for authenticity, compassion, and systems-level thinking. Organizations are recognizing that sustainability isn’t only about the planet—it’s about people.
In 2025, I published The Humanistic Leader: Humanistic Leadership for the Soul to reach a broader audience. The title reflects my belief that leadership isn’t just a skill—it’s a soulful practice. It’s about opening hearts and minds, aligning inner purpose with outer action, and creating conditions where people can thrive.
Role Modeling Humanistic Leadership
To role model humanistic leadership means embodying its principles in everyday life. It means pausing before reacting. Listening before judging. Leading with humility rather than authority.
For ourselves, it begins with self-compassion—understanding our own story, biases, and growth edges. For others, it means creating psychological safety, where people feel seen, heard, and valued. For organizations, it’s about building systems that nurture people rather than deplete them.
When leaders live these values, they create ripple effects far beyond the workplace. Teams become more collaborative. Communities become more empathetic. Even families feel the difference.
Humanistic leadership isn’t a technique—it’s a way of being. It asks us to replace fear with trust, transaction with transformation, and short-term gain with long-term sustainability.
The Impact on Society
The impact of humanistic leadership stretches across every element of society. When we develop self-aware, compassionate leaders, we nurture workplaces that prioritize well-being. Those workplaces then influence communities—creating more ethical businesses, more conscious education systems, and more empathetic citizens.
In this sense, humanistic leadership is not just organizational development—it’s societal development. It’s how we build a world that values both human dignity and collective progress.
Looking Ahead
Ten years after its creation, the Humanistic Leadership Model has evolved from a framework into a global movement. From classrooms to corporations, from Vietnam to Silicon Valley, leaders are reimagining what it means to lead with soul.
We’ve entered an era where empathy is strategy, self-awareness is innovation, and systems thinking is survival. My hope is that as more leaders adopt the HLM mindset, they will continue to inspire others—not just to lead better, but to live better.
Because at its core, humanistic leadership isn’t about power. It’s about people. And when we lead humanely, we help the whole system—organizations, communities, and societies—thrive together.