February 9th, 2026.

As weeks go, last week wasn’t one of my finest. But, in the storm, I learned something significant.

I consider myself someone who can hold their **** together. I naturally explore root causes of any situation. Acknowledge that my way is not the only way, and do my best to see problems from all sides.

But sometimes, it just doesn’t work. And the cards fall down. Such was the week I had.

I tell you this because at one of the lowest points of the week, a colleague looked at me and smiled. Curious at her response, I said, “What’s funny?”.

Her reply, “I know it’s not funny, but I couldn’t help but think that it’s nice to see that you’re human.”

A few years ago, I’d have found the comment highly offensive. Today, I acknowledge that the comment came from her experience, her frame of the world and her lived opinions in her transactions with me.

The following day, I questioned her, truly curious about the backdrop to the comment, and she explained that throughout the redundancy process, she hasn’t seen a quiver of impact and so, seeing me upset, demonstrated a human thread. And that got me thinking…

Being imperfect actually allows people to connect.

Why?

Because for as much as people like to dream, flicking through social media at picture-perfect influencers living million-dollar lives, we don’t know how to relate to them. We might wish we could have a life just like theirs, but we can’t relate. And this lack of connection creates a barrier.

Worse still, if we’re caught up in our own drama, we don’t see it. Often lamenting that it’s something unrelated to us.

How can we apply this to real life?

Let’s look at the millions of people every day, who watch “How to…” webinars. How to get rich. How to get slim. How to play the piano. It’s all the same thing. What matters in this example is how most teachers react to their audience.

You see, we’re encouraged to share our stories to build a bond with our audience, and this approach often resonates deeply. Many listeners find solace in the notion of “If they can do it, I can do it too.” However, there comes a moment when a chasm appears. The narrative shifts from one that inspires empathy and motivates action to one that triggers thoughts like, “It’s easy for them to say that now.” Suddenly, the wall goes up. The connection begins to fade.

The teacher/manager/leader thinks they’re doing a great job, showing people what is possible. But they’ve lost something that is more valuable than gold: connection.

What I intend to do…

1. Never forget who I was at the beginning.
2. Pay attention to the journey; acknowledging that it is these steps that people need most.
3. Wear human emotion as a strength, not a weakness.
4. Never underestimate the power of being human. Developing a character is part in building a brand, but if you act like a robot, your people can’t relate to you, and when they can’t relate, they switch off.

Next time something happens to you, that you’d rather forget, take a moment to see the lessons. It’s not always easy in the moment, but they’re almost always there if you look.

Have the best day. x