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I wonder how many of us have actually noticed this:

Nearly every leader, in almost every organisation, company, and team in the world, talks about achieving or delivering results.

This isn’t new.
It has become the norm.

We have been conditioned for a very long time to produce results, and we use results as the primary benchmark of leadership.

Better results equal better leadership.

In companies, higher sales equal better leadership.
In sports, more wins equal better leadership.
In NGOs, more funds raised equal better leadership.

The list can go on.

What most of us rarely question is this:

What if, in the pursuit of results, we have slowly become less human?
And if that is the case — is that acceptable as long as the results are achieved?

If you are involved in sales, you may not have noticed this either.
Almost every sales training revolves around results — charts, graphs, statistics, rankings, numbers.

Is there ever a sales training that does not talk about results?

In leadership training, we often teach skills such as empathy, communication, listening, and reading people. These skills are important and necessary. But when you look closely, they are mostly about understanding others — the people being led.

Very rarely do we look deeply at the leaders themselves.

And even when leaders are encouraged to “look inward,” it is often only to improve performance — to once again generate better results.

The self is examined not for understanding, but for optimisation.

Was there ever a leadership seminar, training, or conference that truly spoke about being human again — starting with the leaders themselves?

Are leaders fully aware of their own thoughts, emotions, and inner reactions?
Do they understand their own triggering patterns?
Do they know why they lead?

Is it because there is something to gain — financially or psychologically?
And if there were absolutely nothing to gain, would they still lead?

At a glance, leadership today has become largely transactional.
We lead because something comes back to us.

But true leadership was never meant to work this way.

We lead because that is who we are as human beings.

This is the very essence that is missing.

We have forgotten that leadership is, at its core, a human act.

Numbers, recognition, awards, and wealth are outcomes.
They can be produced with or without leadership.

You can use pressure and force to create results and call it leadership.
You can also use awareness, inner steadiness, and guidance without pressure to create results.

Are these both leadership?
Or do we label one “hard” leadership and the other “soft” leadership to make sense of the difference?

So in the end, the question becomes:

What kind of leaders are we becoming — and creating?

Leaders who care only about results, even if it means sacrificing our human nature?
Or leaders who return to being human again, allowing clarity and presence to generate results naturally?

On one side, results as the primary driver.
On the other, being human.

Perhaps there is no right or wrong — only choices.

And if we want a world once again filled with compassion, love, and joy, then choosing to teach leaders to become human again is a choice worth making.

Written by:
Winston Chang, DBA

P/s: If this reflection resonates, I’ve written a short manifesto that explores these ideas more deeply and ties them together in a clear, human way. It’s available at https://products.growingbusinesssimplified.com/b/conscious-leadership-the-manifesto