Leadership by the Numbers Isn’t Enough: A Call to Bring Back the Human
I’ve always admired Gallup’s work. Their research on strengths-based leadership has been a powerful force for positive change in workplaces around the world. The CliftonStrengths framework, in particular, has helped so many leaders identify what makes them uniquely powerful and use that insight to lead with confidence.
But I’ll be honest. Lately, I’ve felt a growing tension between what Gallup measures and what many leaders are truly experiencing.
Their recent article, How to Be a Better Leader, lays out a clear model: Lead through strengths. Know your talents. Focus on outcomes. Align your people to what they do best. It’s clean. It's efficient. It's measurable.
But here’s the thing: humans aren’t always efficient. Growth isn’t always measurable. And pain, the kind that leads to burnout, mental health struggles, or quiet quitting, doesn’t fit neatly into a dashboard.
What I find missing in Gallup’s leadership philosophy is room for the messiness of being human.
Yes, playing to strengths works, but it only works when people feel safe. When they’re seen. When their pain is not just tolerated, but tended to. You can’t activate someone’s talent if they’re drowning in anxiety. You can’t inspire performance from someone whose nervous system is on fire.
The Hidden Cost of “High-Performance Culture”
What happens when we optimize leadership without emotional intelligence? We get what we’re seeing now in the data: burnout, disconnection, and disengagement on a global scale.
And it’s not just employees. It’s the managers. It’s the founders. It’s the leaders themselves, the ones who were trained to focus on output, but never taught how to hold space for emotional complexity.
We keep telling them to “lean into their strengths,” but what if what they really need is to lean into being human again?
What if the missing link in today’s leadership isn’t a lack of strategy, but a lack of soul?
Strengths + Soul = Sustainable Leadership
Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in the power of the CliftonStrengths approach. But I believe it has to be paired with something deeper: inner work. Integrating Life & Leadership. Coaching that explores not just what you do well, but how you’re really doing.
Because I’ve coached high-achievers who are brilliant and broken at the same time. I’ve worked with leaders who look great on paper, and cry in private because they feel like they’re failing everyone, including themselves.
And I want a new kind of leadership for them. One that measures more than metrics. One that honors more than productivity. One that says: you matter because you are human, not just because you deliver.
This is the leadership I believe in. The leadership I’m fighting for. And the leadership our world so desperately needs.
With heart,
Amber Lea
Let’s Lead with Soul
If this message speaks to the leader in you, the one who’s tired of checking boxes and ready to change culture, I’d love to connect.
• Book a 1:1 Leadership Clarity Session to explore your next steps: https://amberleaspeaks.com/contact
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It’s time to lead not just with power, but with presence. Let’s rebuild leadership from the inside out.