By Dori Stiles, PhD, Leadership Development Strategist
Director of Training for the Highlands Company and Founder of Turning Points Coaching and Consulting
Why Human-Centered Leadership Matters Now
While digital fluency and AI integration are undeniably essential for driving efficiency and competitiveness, the true differentiator for tomorrow’s organizations won’t be how quickly they adopt new technologies—it will be how effectively they evolve into collaborative, human-centered, AI-powered cultures. That evolution starts with leadership.
Long-term success doesn’t rest solely on technical expertise. It hinges on something profoundly human: the capacity to connect, inspire, and lead with self-awareness. The real question isn’t whether leaders are ready for today’s workplace—it’s whether we’re ready to meet them where they are, support their development, and help them reach their full potential.
Decades of Perspective: Leadership Starts from Within
For decades, I’ve worked with leaders across industries and generations—from emerging talent in higher education to seasoned executives in the corporate world. And across every level, one truth remains constant: meaningful leadership development must begin from the inside.
There are literally thousands of measures, books, articles, and theories attempting to define great leadership. While they offer valuable insights into traits and behaviors, I’ve seen the greatest growth occur when leaders invest in cultivating greater self-awareness and social awareness.
Tools That Transform: The HAB and Whole Person Model
Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed even the most seasoned leaders elevate their effectiveness through the self and social awareness gained from the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) and the Whole Person Model. Why are these tools so impactful? Because they provide individualized, objective insights into how the brain naturally operates—offering a clearer understanding of the “why” behind ones’ talents, revealing patterns that may accompany those strengths, and highlighting strategies to manage and apply them more effectively. In a word: self-awareness.
At the core, leaders are no different from anyone else. When we understand our natural inclinations, we gain the clarity to lead with greater intention, confidence, and impact. That’s the power of authentic self-awareness—and it’s the foundation of transformational leadership.
Beyond Self-Awareness: Building Social Awareness
For many leaders—especially those who’ve taken other assessments—the HAB often validates what they intuitively know about themselves; the benefit is having a language to describe their strengths and needs to others.
What is cultivated is social awareness. Rather than simply identifying that others are different (from the leader or from one another), leaders can now describe exactly how people are “different”. With this deeper understanding, they can recognize the unique contributions each person brings to the table. What once felt like friction becomes opportunity.
These distinctions, when acknowledged and appreciated, become strategic advantages. Leaders are better equipped to build teams where differences are not only respected but intentionally leveraged—to strengthen communication, foster trust, and drive more effective collaboration.
Rethinking Leadership and Followership
This shift in awareness invites us to reimagine traditional leadership structures. Drawing on the work of Ira Chaleff, author of The Courageous Follower, leadership and followership aren’t top-down, linear roles. Instead, Chaleff proposes a circular model—with the mission at the center, and leaders and followers revolving around it in shared purpose.
“Followers and leaders both orbit around the purpose; followers do not orbit around the leader.”— Ira Chaleff, The Courageous Follower (2009)
It’s a vision that aligns with today’s workplace—a culture built on trust, integration, and mutual accountability.
From Awareness to Action: Real-World Leadership in Motion
The principles of self-awareness and whole-person development aren’t just theoretical—they’re deeply actionable. Here are a few examples of how through Turning Points, I’ve applied the HAB and Whole Person Model across sectors to strengthen leadership and align individuals with their most effective ways of working.
1. Merging Leadership Styles in a Growing Insurance Agency: Using the HAB to support a culture of growth and to use objective information to frame leadership coaching.
A mid-sized independent insurance agency faced significant growing pains after several years of rapid expansion and multiple mergers. With new technologies, evolving managerial responsibilities, and legacy cultures to unify, the leadership team needed a common foundation to move forward effectively.
The CEO—who first took the HAB 15 years ago and had relied on its insights throughout his career—turned to the tool again. With a clearly defined mission and shared values, he re-engaged with the HAB and brought me in to facilitate leadership alignment.
The Goals:
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- Establish a shared language across the leadership team.
- Reinforce a growth-oriented culture rooted in individual talents.
- Accelerate relationship-building with new leaders.
- Provide a foundation for personalized coaching and team development.
The Strategies using the HAB:
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- Identify communication and problem-solving differences across the team.
- Facilitate open, strengths-based dialogue about those differences.
- Tailor coaching strategies for each leader based on their unique ability profiles.
- Use team-wide HAB results to anticipate and address potential challenges.
The Result: A more cohesive leadership team with stronger alignment, clearer communication, and a renewed focus on shared success.
2. Incorporating a Personal Foundation in GSSA’s Professional Development Offerings: Using the HAB, Individual Feedback, and Whole Person Model to prepare aspiring Public School Superintendents and Administrators to shift into higher-level responsibilities.
Through the state of Georgia’s School Superintendents Association, one- and two-year competitive leadership development programs are offered to prepare and support the growth and transition of leaders into the highest levels of public education. SPDP prepares aspiring superintendents for bold, versatile and visionary leadership in a two-year program that emphasizes executive skills and knowledge a successful superintendent must possess to lead a district. GSSA’s District Office Professional Development Program is a one-year course of study designed to enhance the individual and collective leadership capacity of the district office, while supporting the superintendent’s ability to accomplish system-wide goals.
The nuts-and-bolts content of these programs is essential. Twenty-six years ago, GSSA incorporated the HAB and 2-day Authentic Leadership component.
The Goals:
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- To advance GSSA’s mission in preparing high-level public education leaders.
- Equip these public servants with deep self-awareness to confidently embrace their unique leadership styles.
- Foster appreciation for individual differences as key to accomplishing the work.
- Strengthen the ability to engage and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders (e.g., Boards of Education, central office staff, teachers, parents, community).
- Guide leaders in connecting their chosen responsibilities with their “purpose” as well as with their positions.
The Strategies using the HAB and Whole Person Model:
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- To deepen self-awareness, leaders take the HAB and have an individual 90-minute debrief using the customized Leadership Report with objective data and individualized tips for using their leadership talents and potential blind spots that they should be aware of. A review of influences on LKES, the states performance standards for leaders, is newly incorporated.
- HAB results are explored in a two-day interactive workshop where leaders review their profiles alongside those of their peers. This comparative approach places individual styles within a broader context, fostering deeper insight when working with others. Engaging, guided discussions support adult learning and practical application.
- Create a fully integrated career vision, based upon a personal vision. Building on the foundation of abilities, leaders are guided through a process to incorporate the seven additional elements of the Highlands’ Whole Person Model— skills, interests, personal style, family origins, values, goals and stage of career.
- Embolden participants to confidently articulate and share their visions with fellow leaders.
The results are long-lasting. Through leaders’ hard work on themselves, there is a deep understanding of the “why” of their leadership style as well as that of others. There is “permission” to delegate, collaborate, and leverage the talents of others to advance shared goals. Most importantly, they leave with an appreciation for the opportunity to focus on themselves as they find their way of getting the work done.
The effectiveness of Authentic Leadership workshops, whether they are half-day, full-day, or two-day programs, is evidenced by Turning Points certifying several Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs) within Georgia to offer these programs independently. Expansion into other states is underway as well, extending the reach and lasting value of this powerful foundation for human-centered leadership development.
3. Building Leadership Capacity from Within: Houston County School District’s Aspiring Leaders Program: The Houston County School District prepares aspiring leaders to step into administration through a one-year program, including the HAB and Turning Points half-day workshop “Using Your Talents”.
With nearly 31,000 students across 25 elementary, 9 middle, and 6 high schools, Houston County School District (HCSD) recognized the need to cultivate a robust pipeline of future school administrators. The challenge was to prepare aspiring leaders with both the tactical skills and the self-awareness necessary to lead with confidence and impact.
As part of its one-year Aspiring Leaders Program, HCSD partnered with Turning Points to integrate the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) and the “Using Your Talents” half-day workshop. This initiative helped participants develop a foundational understanding of their natural leadership styles and how to apply them effectively as they transitioned from managing students to leading adults.
The Goals:
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- Support HCSD’s goal of preparing future leaders from within the district.
- Gain perspective of the differences between managing and interacting primarily with students to managing and interacting with adults (staff and parents).
- Develop awareness of how personal strengths influence communication, decision-making, and collaboration to lead effectively.
- Reinforce that effective leadership is not about doing it all—but about working through and with others.
- Encourage appreciation for diverse leadership styles and the value of authenticity.
The Strategies using the HAB:
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- Participants complete the HAB and receive a customized Leadership Report highlighting their innate talents, individualized development tips, and potential blind spots when working with others.
- In the “Using Your Talents” interactive workshop, participants explore their results, identify differences, discuss leadership strategies with peers, and create their own professional development action plan to address self-identified opportunities for growth.
- Facilitated peer discussions allow participants to practice self-disclosure and articulate how to best collaborate with others based on their unique styles.
The results are profound. Participants report greater clarity and validation of their leadership strengths and styles through guided facilitation. With this self-awareness, they pursue leadership roles aligned with their natural approach, understanding they can continue developing additional skills over time. The interactive structure of the experience also builds confidence in their unique leadership voice and equips them to recognize and seek complementary strengths within their teams.
4. UGA’s Institute for Leadership Advancement – Leadership Development of Undergraduate Students: Integrating the HAB and Whole Person Model as a key component in the introductory course for ILA Fellows and Leonard Leadership Scholars to sharpen the next generation of leaders.
The University of Georgia’s Institute for Leadership Advancement combines coursework with real-world experience to equip emerging leaders who stand out distinctly because of their unwavering commitment to make values-based, impact-driven decisions. The two-year Leonard Leadership Scholars program accepts undergraduate business majors and the one-year Leadership Fellows program accepts undergraduates with any major across the university. For twenty-six years, Turning Points has supported the work of ILA.
The Goals:
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- Support the framework of the ILA experience.
- Cultivate self-awareness and broaden perspective of others’ talents for these leader-oriented students.
- Provide a personal lens to frame their academic courses, experiences, speaker insights, and opportunities that will mold their futures.
- Equip high-achieving students with tools to better understand the why behind their preferences, choices, and leadership tendencies and to prioritize among multiple career and professional pathways.
- Guide students in navigating future career opportunities and leadership positions in alignment with the total package of who they are
The Strategies using the HAB:
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- Students complete the objective worksamples in the HAB and receive the customized Leadership Report.
- Facilitated presentations guide students in interpreting their results and explore what makes them unique in terms of talents, as well as potential growth opportunities. It even helps them understand preferences for types of roles and responsibilities.
- Interactive discussions reveal differences that are celebrated as they work on team projects.
- Identifying a personal “Super Power” and describing it to others solidifies learning.
- Special attention is given to how to integrate the HAB-derived knowledge into their end-of-program Personal Development Leadership Portfolio (PDLP), anchoring academic and experiential takeaways in self-knowledge.
The results are enduring, marked by a transformative shift when students gain the language to articulate how they experience themselves—in school, at work, and in relationships. These high-potential students, just beginning their careers, develop a lifelong foundation for intentional decision-making and professional growth. Their HAB insights are embedded into every PDLP and actively inform their work on group and Service Learning Projects. Some even pursue HAB certification, continuing the cycle of meaningful, values-driven leadership.
5. Leadership Development of MBA And Executive MBA Students: The HAB is added to formal leadership education for MBA and EMBA programs to support students, professionals and executives for advanced leadership trajectories.
Adding formal leadership education to work experience can be a game changer for reaching your potential. MBA and EMBA programs expose students to a wide range of topics, experiences, and networks that can prepare them for the highest levels of leadership. At the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, the addition of deep self-awareness results in leaders understanding they are more than their position and that managing/leading others can be easier with respect and appreciation for differences.
The Goals:
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- Support each programs’ objectives and meet the needs of these experienced students.
- Provide objective insight into aptitudes that influence natural leadership styles.
- Offer a personalized professional development experience beyond traditional self-report tools.
- Develop a unique abilities lens and a language that facilitates working through and with others whether collaborating, managing, or influencing.
The Strategies using the HAB:
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- Provide an opportunity for leaders to put their experiences into perspective by using the objective data provided in the customized Leadership Report which includes descriptions of communication and problem-solving styles.
- Clarify the “why” behind their leadership tendencies when reflecting on roles participants can do versus roles they naturally prefer.
- Encourage reflection on team dynamics, including who they might work most easily with and who they might need to complement/support the strengths they possess.
- Guide leaders to intentionally choose growth and/or stretch opportunities to reach professional goals.
The results encourage individualized professional growth. For example, some students seek internal lateral positions in their organizations and have a rationale to explain exactly how they can contribute—such as moving from a sales team to a product development team. Others target senior leadership roles within their current organization such as moving from a regional to a national level. Some realize their preference for staying at a high-level individual contributor role instead of aspiring for experience in broad leadership. Ultimately, using self-awareness to fine-tune the pursuit of specific opportunities results in personal and professional satisfaction.
The Human Side of Leadership Is Where Transformation Begins
In every engagement—whether with corporate executives, aspiring leaders, or undergraduate or graduate students—I’ve observed how powerful it is when people truly understand themselves and those around them. The Highlands Ability Battery and Whole Person Model give leaders the tools to navigate uncertainty, lead with clarity, and foster environments where diverse strengths are not only recognized but maximized.
As we move further into an AI-powered world, I believe our most enduring advantage will remain human: our ability to lead with insight, empathy, and purpose. That’s the future of leadership—and it starts from within. Now is the time to cultivate leadership that not only adapts to change, but actively shapes it—with intention and vision.
🔹For Leaders & Organizations: Explore how HAB-powered professional development can help you retain talent, foster high-performing teams, and unlock your people’s full potential. Learn more- Professional Development Program – Leadership Development Assessment.
🔹 For Career & Leadership Consultants: Join a global network of professionals certified in the HAB and Whole Person Method. Highlands Certified Consultants integrate the HAB into their comprehensive offerings for career assessment and professional development for leaders and management: Become certified in the Highlands Ability Battery and Whole Person Method to bring these transformative tools to your clients. Learn more- Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) Consultant Certification.
About Dori Stiles, PhD
With a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and a career spanning corporate, academic, and consulting roles, I’ve spent thirty years helping leaders grow from the inside out. My work is grounded in the belief that leadership is deeply personal—and that lasting development starts with self-awareness.
Through my company, Turning Points Coaching and Consulting, I’m grateful to have partnered with organizations across sectors to integrate the human dimension of leadership into existing professional development efforts. Rather than replace what’s already working, I collaborate with internal champions to enhance it—providing experiences that are both individualized and enduring.
I trust leaders to make good use of meaningful data. That’s why the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) is central to my work. It’s not used on leaders, but for them—to help clarify how they’re wired, uncover hidden strengths, and support self-directed growth. The HAB isn’t a one-time assessment; it’s a tool leaders return to again and again as they evolve.
At Turning Points, development is framed through a “good-to-great” lens. It’s not about fixing what’s wrong—it’s about expanding what’s right. Every leader brings something different to the table, and there is no one-size-fits-all model for success. Authenticity, not conformity, is the goal. And authenticity grows from deep self-understanding.
I’m honored to support those who lead others—and grateful for every opportunity to help them lead with clarity, purpose, and confidence.
~ Dori
Learn more at www.turningpointsconsulting.com
