Don’t Outsource Your Humanity
One of my favorite parts of the work I get to do is helping people reframe the word trust. Because trust isn’t just something we say we have. It’s something we do. It has to be both a noun and a verb. A couple of weeks ago, I was on stage speaking, and during the Q&A, someone asked me a question about communication and trust in today’s workplace. My answer came quickly:
“Don’t outsource your humanity.”
And I’ve been thinking about that ever since. Every day, we rely on tools to help us communicate. Tools that make things faster. Cleaner. More efficient. And yes, I use them too. But somewhere along the way, something subtle has started to shift.
We skim instead of reading.
We respond without really listening.
We outsource our tone, our thoughts—even our care.
We ask a tool to draft the message, tweak the response, shape the feedback. And before we know it, what was once a human interaction becomes… transactional.
Two agents are going back and forth. No nuance. No intention. No real connection. And over time, that begins to erode trust. Because trust isn’t built in perfectly worded responses. It’s built in presence. It’s built in the pause before you reply. In choosing the right tone for the moment. In asking yourself, “What does this person need from me right now?”
The tools can help us communicate. But they can’t replace care. They can’t replace context. They can’t replace the feeling someone gets when they know you actually took the time. This is especially important at work, where so many conversations carry weight. Feedback conversations. Moments of conflict. Moments where someone is unsure, or vulnerable, or trying to find their footing. Those moments don’t need perfection. They need humanity. So as you move through your week, yes—use the tools. But don’t disappear behind them.
Read the message. Listen closely. Add your voice back into the conversation. Because trust isn’t automated. It’s built—moment by moment—by people who choose to show up fully.
Don’t outsource your humanity.