I recently did an Insights profile and learned that my natural energy is deeply supportive, thoughtful, and people-focused, which is a beautiful way of saying I care about your growth right up until the moment the deadline starts smoking.
Which, honestly, checks out. Apparently, my default setting is kind, collaborative, and very invested in helping people do their best work. Lovely. Noble. Very reassuring to the public.
But in practice, that does not mean I float through meetings sprinkling encouragement like workplace parsley. It means I want people to feel heard, supported, and set up to succeed… while also wanting us to leave with a decision, an owner, and fewer loose thoughts wandering around unsupervised. And my career map explains that a lot.
I’ve spent years in learning, organizational effectiveness, HR, coaching, instructional design, and project work, which is really time spent watching what happens when goals are fuzzy, ownership is vague, and everyone hopes the problem will die of neglect.
So yes, I care about people. Deeply.
I also care whether the process makes sense, whether the goal is clear, and whether “let’s circle back” is being used as a next step or a witness protection program for accountability.
What I’ve realized is that leadership did not make me less kind. It just made my kindness more specific.
When I’m contributing, I’m thoughtful, encouraging, curious, and probably trying to make sure no one gets steamrolled by the loudest person with an axe to grind.
When I’m leading, though, my Green (Supporter) energy calls in backup. That’s where the Red (Director) energy shows up not as a villain, more like a bulldozer. But while I’m NOT HERE TO FLATTEN PEOPLE. I am increasingly willing to flatten confusion, drift, fake alignment, and any meeting trying to end without action items.
There is, of course, a downside to being naturally supportive. The workplace sees that and thinks, excellent, she will absorb the awkwardness, translate the chaos, carry the emotional weight, and probably fix the document. And for a long time, I was very good at confusing “I can help” with “I guess this is mine now.”
That part has needed some work (and still does). Because kind does not mean passive and supportive does not mean permissive. Also, for the cynics in the back, people-centered leadership is not the absence of standards.
So yes, I am absolutely people focused. I just happen to believe that one of the kindest things a leader can do is create clarity before confusion starts billing overtime.
Have you ever noticed a trait that gets sharper, stranger, or more useful when you’re the one leading?
