Hello, Good People!

Let me ask you something.

Do you know how people are experiencing you?

Not how you intend to show up.

Not what your title says.

Not what your performance reviews or financial reports suggest.

I'm talking about how people actually experience you when you walk into a room, make a decision, give feedback, or lead through a difficult moment.

Because there is a difference.

And that difference may be costing you more than you realize.

This week on Authentic Encounters: Lena Speaks, I sat down with Phillip O'Rourke, President and CEO of the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce, for a conversation we called Leadership Redefined.

Phillip is a strategist, entrepreneur, and community leader. But what made this conversation meaningful wasn't his title or professional accomplishments.

It was his willingness to talk about the personal work behind his leadership.

He shared how his own insecurities once caused him to become rigid and less gracious with others.

And that will preach in a boardroom just as much as it will anywhere else!

Because here's what I've learned working with executives, leadership teams, and boards:

You can be professionally successful and personally unaware of the damage your leadership is creating.

Your organization can be profitable.

Your numbers can look great.

Your board can be pleased.

And your people can be quietly suffering under the weight of how you lead.

That's a leadership risk worth paying attention to.

Watch the full conversation here.

One of my favorite moments came when Phillip challenged us to consider not just what leaders DO, but how leaders BEHAVE.

Think about that.

You can accomplish every goal on the strategic plan and still leave people feeling dismissed, intimidated, unheard, or undervalued.

You can be excellent at managing projects and ineffective at developing people.

Phillip shared a guiding principle that has shaped his approach:

“People before projects.”

Now, that doesn't mean performance doesn't matter.

It means the people responsible for producing the performance matter, too.

That's why I consistently challenge leaders to embrace something foundational:

Human First, Leader Second.™

Before the responsibilities, the expectations, and the organizational chart, there is a human being.

And your humanity doesn't disappear when you accept a leadership title.

Neither does the humanity of the people you lead.

During our conversation, I asked Phillip about something I encounter far too often.

Insecure leaders.

And let me tell you, good people, insecurity doesn't always look like hesitation or uncertainty.

Sometimes it looks like arrogance.

Sometimes it looks like a leader who must have the final word.

Sometimes it looks like someone who refuses feedback, controls every decision, or mistakes intimidation for respect.

Here's the danger.

When leaders lack self-awareness, their insecurity can become everyone else's working environment.

And if nobody is willing to challenge them, that behavior can become the culture.

Phillip talked about the importance of remaining teachable, recognizing blind spots, and having people in your circle who can challenge your perspective.

That takes confidence.

Not the kind of confidence that says, “I know everything.”

The kind that says, “I know who I am, and I'm willing to learn what I don't know.”

That's leadership maturity.

Here's what I want you to consider before moving into another meeting, making another decision, or evaluating someone else's performance.

Ask yourself:

Don't rush past those questions.

Sit with them.

Because your leadership legacy isn't something you begin creating at retirement.

You're creating it right now.

In every interaction, you're leaving an imprint.

The question is whether you're leaving people better or leaving bruises they carry into the next room.

If this conversation has you wondering whether your leadership style is having the impact you intend, I want to encourage you to do more than wonder.

Start with understanding your behavioral tendencies, communication preferences, and how you respond to people and pressure.

That's where the DISC Leadership Assessment + Private Debrief can help.

It's an opportunity to explore your leadership patterns, better understand how your behavior may be experienced by others, and identify intentional adjustments you can make.

Not to change who you are.

But to help you lead with greater awareness of how you show up.

Discover How Others Experience Your Leadership →

DISC Assessment + Private Debrief purchase link

Phillip shared that he wants people to leave their interactions with him better than they came.

I love that.

Because at the end of the day, leadership isn't only about what we accomplish.

It's about what happens to people while we're accomplishing it.

So, good people, before you ask whether your team is performing at its best, ask yourself one more question:

Are they experiencing the best of your leadership?

Until our next Authentic Encounter,

Lena Morris
Founder & CEO | Authentic Encounters, LLC
Host | Authentic Encounters: Lena Speaks

From Training to Transformation.

P.S. You don't have to wait for a leadership problem to become a culture problem. The DISC Leadership Assessment + Private Debrief is a practical first step toward understanding your leadership patterns and communicating more intentionally. Explore the assessment.