Ask 10 people “What does it mean to be a great leader?” and you’ll likely get 10 different answers. While some themes remain constant, everyone’s priorities are unique, and different situations call for various modes of leadership. 

So, how do we know what good looks like? IDEO’s answer is human-centered leadership. 

Just as human-centered design dives deep into human needs to shape functional and desirable solutions, human-centered leadership is about understanding the needs of your people and your business and serving them in the best way possible. 

Human-centered leaders put people at the center. That means focusing on the needs of those they serve, the emotional drivers of their teams, colleagues, partners, and collaborators—and tapping the richness of human creativity to unlock new ideas, solutions, and systems for more courageous futures.

What Is Human-Centered Leadership?

Simply put, human-centered leaders put people first—knowing that productivity, performance, and other traditional markers of success will follow. It’s not a single personality or fixed style. It’s a flexible approach rooted in empathy, creativity, and adaptability. 

Traditional leadership models centered on authority, control, and linear decision-making no longer serve the messy challenges leaders face today. The leaders who thrive now are not just effective decision-makers–they’re curious, courageous, and emotionally intelligent humans. 

Human-centered leadership isn’t just a feel-good philosophy or altruism. While it does create a kinder experience for the people you lead, it also works. It’s a practical, effective strategy for getting unstuck and guiding people and organizations toward better outcomes. Human-centered leaders know that people are the engine of creativity, innovation, and change. 

At IDEO U, we’ve identified six core skills that enable leaders to show up in this way:

1. Curiosity

2. Collaboration 

3. Adapting to Ambiguity 

4. Experimentation 

5. Self-Awareness 

6. Maintaining Momentum

We’ll explore each of these skills in more detail later in the post—what they are, why each matters, related capabilities, and resources to learn more. 

Why Human Skills Matter in an AI-Driven Workplace

While AI is transforming tasks, it can’t replace the deeply human skills that define effective leadership. Skills like empathy, adaptability, creativity, and emotional intelligence remain irreplaceable, especially when navigating change, motivating teams, and driving innovation.

Human-centered leadership is what enables organizations to thrive amid uncertainty and transformation. As AI handles more routine work, it's human leaders who will provide vision, make meaning, and build cultures where people and ideas flourish.

Want to grow these future-proof skills? Explore our Accelerated Change Leadership Certificate.

Building on Established Leadership Models

Human-centered leadership builds on existing frameworks to adjust for today’s needs.

From Daniel Goleman’s emotional intelligence and Blake and Mouton’s concern-for-people and concern-for-results grid, to situational leadership and servant leadership, much work has been done to understand the leader’s role. 

What’s different now? The pace. The stakes. And the deep need for trust in systems that are rapidly transforming due to technology, hybrid work, and global change.

Examples of Human-Centered Leadership in Action

Human-centered leadership isn’t just a philosophy; it’s a practice you can see and feel in everyday moments. Here are some real-world behaviors and mindsets that set these leaders apart:

• Co-Creation Over Command: A team leader invites their team to shape the strategy together, increasing alignment and motivation.

• Compassion During Change: A manager gives space for their team to process emotions during an organizational shift, balancing empathy with clarity.

• Experimentation Culture: A VP runs quick prototypes of new workflows with their team before scaling, reducing risk, and building buy-in.

• Purpose-Driven Communication: A director uses storytelling to reconnect the team to the “why” behind their work, boosting morale during a tough quarter.

These aren’t grand gestures. They’re consistent choices to lead with curiosity, care, and creativity. And they make all the difference. 

The Six Skills of Human-Centered Leaders

We’ve distilled our perspective on leadership into six essential skills. Each reflects years of design practice, learning facilitation, and coaching global leaders at IDEO. 

While we believe wholeheartedly that human-centered leadership is the most effective approach, it’s far from effortless. It only works when leaders step up to the challenge of staying in tune with their teams’ needs, the market, and themselves.

These six human-centered skills may come naturally to some, but they are not innate traits. They are learnable, buildable capabilities that can help any leader thrive. If you’re ready to become a more effective, inspiring leader, start here.

1. Curiosity: The best answers come from asking the best questions

Definition

Curiosity is about approaching the unknown with a mindset of possibility instead of fear. It helps leaders reframe challenges and uncover new insights by asking bold, generative questions.

Why It Matters

In uncertain environments, curiosity becomes a strategic superpower. It challenges assumptions, fosters innovation, and opens doors to previously unseen opportunities. Rather than jumping to solutions, curiosity helps leaders linger in the question, creating space for surprising insights and new ideas.

Capabilities Developed

• Sense-making and pattern recognition

• Encouraging creative exploration

• Framing thought-provoking questions

• Comfort with uncertainty and ambiguity

• Identifying and questioning assumptions

• Understanding human motivations

• Analogous thinking
  

Related IDEO U Courses

• Insights for Innovation

• Unlocking Creativity
  

Explore More

• Why Curiosity is a Business Imperative 

• Creative Problem-Solving Skills: The Value of Curiosity and Play

• Curiosity Is a Leadership Muscle

• The Art of the Insight: Learnings from 30 Years of Curiosity and Empathy

2. Collaboration: Diverse perspectives make for different ideas

Definition

Collaboration means cultivating a space—emotionally and structurally—for people to come together meaningfully across differences. Collaboration is about how a leader engages with and supports their team to work together. 

Why It Matters

People work better when they feel valued and included. Bringing many different people into a room is a good starting point. Getting them to work well together is the critical part that leads to new ideas. Collaboration amplifies creativity, fosters psychological safety, and strengthens outcomes across teams. 

Capabilities Developed

• Building trust

• Emotional intelligence 

• Empathy

• Managing conflict

• Vulnerability

• Humility

• Holding space for productive tension

• Leading multidisciplinary teams

Related IDEO U Courses

• Cultivating Creative Collaboration

• Creative Leadership Workshop

• Power of Purpose

• Foundations in Creative Leadership Certificate
  

Explore More

• Collaborative Leadership

• What Is Creative Collaboration? A Guide for Team Leaders

• Collaborative Overload

• What is Creative Leadership? How to Lead with Confidence in Uncertain Times

• Mentor Moment: How Do I Onboard New Team Members To Encourage Collaboration?

• Embrace Tension to Build a Stronger Team

3. Adapting to Ambiguity: Design the journey before the destination

Definition

This is the ability to stay grounded, steady, and optimistic while navigating uncharted territory. It’s about proactively expecting and planning for the unexpected.

Human-centered leaders guide their teams through change by recognizing patterns, designing flexible paths, and embracing complexity.

Why It Matters

Ambiguity is the norm today, not the exception. Leaders who can navigate the gray zone keep teams focused, calm, and creatively engaged even when the future is unclear.

Capabilities Developed

• Synthesis of diverse data and input

• Resilience

• Systems thinking

• Nonlinear planning

• Openness to change

• Switching modes between divergence and convergence

• Sensing and synthesizing shifts

• Evaluating tradeoffs
  

Related IDEO U Courses

• Accelerated Change Leadership Certificate 

• Designing Strategy 

• Leading Complex Projects

• Designing for Change
  

Explore More

• Embracing Ambiguity to Unlock Innovation

• How to Lead in Uncertainty: 3 Qualities for Success

• The Three Qualities Leaders Need in an Uncertain Future

• What Is Adaptive Leadership?

4. Experimentation: Talk less, make more, learn from failure, succeed sooner 

Definition

Experimentation is a mindset of doing. It’s about trying things out, learning from failure, and iterating quickly. Human-centered leaders use prototypes to move forward—not just in products, but in strategies, services, and systems.

Why It Matters

Leaders need to embrace experimentation and cultivate this mindset in their teams and organizations. Experimentation builds momentum, reduces risk, and drives better outcomes. It encourages progress over perfection and activates creativity at every level.

Capabilities Developed

• Prototyping

• Risk analysis

• Opportunity spotting

• Framing questions and hypotheses

• Data-informed iteration

• Experiment design and analysis

• Intuition 

Related IDEO U Courses

• From Ideas to Action

• Prototyping for Digital Experiences

• Activating Strategy
  

Explore More

• How Prototyping Drives Better Decisions

• Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Better

• Why Everyone Can Benefit from Prototyping (Not Just Designers)

5. Self-Awareness: See your strengths, recognize your weaknesses, and off you grow

Definition

Self-awareness is the ability to reflect on, understand, and acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses, and lead with authenticity. Human-centered leaders are adept at identifying growth opportunities and taking action on them. 

Why It Matters

By acknowledging growth areas, effective leaders are able to evolve their skills and effectively source support from others who have complementary skills. Self-awareness engenders respect from peers and reports and opens pathways to deeper relationships. 

Capabilities Developed

• Growth mindset

• Emotional intelligence

• Bias recognition

• Seeking and applying feedback

• Seeing from other perspectives 

• Deep listening 

• Holding discomfort
  

Related IDEO U Courses

• Power of Purpose

• From Superpowers to Great Teams

• Storytelling for Influence

• Cultivating Creative Collaboration
  

Explore More

• How to Break Free from Limiting Beliefs and Evolve Your Leadership Mindset

• Self-Awareness Is More Valuable Than an MBA 

• Activity: 4 Steps to Define Your Purpose

6. Maintaining Momentum: Stay motivated, inspired, and moving forward

Definition

Momentum is about sustaining energy and progress, even in the face of obstacles. 

Why It Matters

Maintaining momentum goes hand in hand with adaptability. Adapting to change is necessary, but it also leads to change fatigue. Effective leaders keep their teams energized and focused through long-term marathons and short-term obstacles. 

Capabilities Developed

• Vision setting

• Purpose alignment

• Motivating through storytelling

• Overcoming resistance

• Tracking and celebrating progress

• Removing roadblocks 

• Sustaining focus

• Sensing needs and emotions

Related IDEO U Courses

• Activating Strategy

• Power of Purpose

• Storytelling for Influence

• Leading Complex Projects
  

Explore More

• To Maintain Team Momentum, Shift Modes Of Working

• The Secret to Leading Organizational Change

Human-Centered Leadership Is an Ongoing Practice

Human-centered leadership is not the easiest route to take, but it’s worth it. It requires emotional labor, flexibility, and stamina. It will become more natural over time with practice and patience. Try cycling through seasons of learning, reflection, and practice. Be easy on yourself and make sure to celebrate your progress. 

Ready to Grow Into the Leader You Want to Be?

Enroll in our Change Leadership Certificate to build these capabilities through hands-on practice and expert guidance.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is human-centered leadership?
A: Human-centered leadership is an approach that prioritizes the needs, emotions, and motivations of people (employees, customers, and communities) while still advancing business goals. It’s rooted in empathy, adaptability, creativity, and collaboration, enabling leaders to navigate uncertainty and unlock the full potential of their teams.

Q: Why are human skills important in leadership today?
A: As organizations face rapid change, AI disruption, and complex social dynamics, technical expertise alone isn’t enough. Human skills (like emotional intelligence, communication, and resilience) help leaders build trust, foster inclusion, and drive innovation. These skills enable stronger relationships and more effective, adaptive teams.

Q: Can human-centered leadership be taught?
A: Yes. These skills are not traits you're born with—they're capabilities you can develop. With the right tools, reflection, and practice, anyone can become a more human-centered leader. IDEO U’s courses and certificates offer structured ways to build these muscles over time.

Q: How do I apply human-centered leadership in a remote or hybrid team?
A: Start by intentionally designing for connection and psychological safety. That might mean prioritizing 1:1 check-ins, co-creating team rituals, encouraging experimentation, or sharing purpose-driven stories. Human-centered leaders adapt how they lead to keep people engaged, included, and motivated no matter where they are.

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