People First Leadership: Lessons from a Diplomat

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Listen to this week’s podcast episode, Ep.187: How to Lead with Impact and Why It’s ALL About the People, with Michael Dillard, using the player below, or click here.

What Diplomats Know That Leaders (Sometimes) Forget

When you think of diplomacy, your mind might jump to handshakes on the world stage, marathon negotiations, or late-night crisis talks. What you might not think of is the overlap between international diplomacy and the kind of leadership challenges you face in a business, a charity, or even a small team.

Michael Dillard, a former US diplomat, joined me on the podcast this week. Our theme was simple but powerful: leadership is, at its core, about people. Strategies, policies, and plans all matter, but only if the people around you trust you enough to follow them.

Michael’s insights go far beyond anecdotes from his time in government. They’re practical lessons for any leader who wants to have an impact without losing sight of the human beings who make that impact possible.

The Human Element in Leadership

One of the recurring themes in our conversation was the central role of human connection in leadership. Michael explained that whether you’re a Diplomat in a foreign capital or in the office for a weekly team meeting, the dynamics are surprisingly similar. People respond to trust, respect, and empathy. They resist being bulldozed or treated as disposable.

Too often, leaders get caught up in the machinery of their organisations (metrics, structures, or the next deadline) and forget that their influence only works through people. Michael stressed that without investing in those relationships, the rest is noise.

It’s a reminder that can feel obvious, yet so many leaders stumble here.

Why?

Because paying attention to people takes time. It requires listening, asking questions, and showing vulnerability; all of which can feel uncomfortable if you’ve been trained to think leadership means having all the answers.

What Diplomacy Teaches Us About Leadership

Diplomacy is often painted as glamorous, but as Michael made clear, most of it is patient, methodical work. It’s about listening twice as much as you speak. It’s about building trust long before you need it.

These are not abstract “soft skills.” They’re the bread and butter of leadership in any environment. Think about a project team split over priorities. Or a boardroom divided on direction. The leader who can approach those conversations with the same patience and curiosity as a diplomat will almost always make more progress than the one who rushes to a decision and leaves half the group disengaged.

Michael also highlighted the value of preparation. Leaders who anticipate concerns and map out other’s perspectives come across as thoughtful and credible. Leaders who wing it often undermine themselves before the discussion has even begun.

Common Leadership Mistakes

With experience on the world stage and in advising leaders, Michael has seen plenty of mistakes repeated over and over. A few that stood out in our discussion:

• Mistaking authority for influence: Just because someone reports to you doesn’t mean they’ll follow you with commitment. Influence is earned, not demanded.

• Talking more than listening: Leaders who dominate the conversation miss valuable information and alienate their team.

• Ignoring cultural context: This doesn’t just apply internationally. Every organisation, every team has its own culture. Leaders who ignore it tend to clash unnecessarily.

• Failing to follow through: Credibility comes from doing what you say you’ll do. Leaders who make promises without action quickly lose trust.

Each of these mistakes comes back to the same root issue: losing sight of the people.

Practical Lessons Leaders Can Apply Today

Michael’s advice isn’t just theory. Throughout our conversation he shared lessons leaders can take back to their day jobs straight away, here are a few of my favourites:

1. Invest in relationships before you need them. Whether in diplomacy or business, trust isn’t built in a crisis. Make time for connection when things are calm.

2. Ask more questions. Curiosity signals respect and gives you better information. Leaders who ask instead of assuming make better decisions.

3. Communicate with clarity. Ambiguity breeds confusion and fear. State your intentions plainly, even if the message is difficult.

4. Stay calm under pressure. People look to leaders for stability. If you panic or lash out, they will too.

5. Remember the bigger picture. Immediate wins matter less than sustainable relationships. Sacrificing long-term trust for short-term gain is rarely worth it.

Leadership as Service

Another powerful point Michael made was about service. In his past roles, the priority was to serve his country. In leadership, your role is to serve your people. That doesn’t mean being a pushover, but it does mean making decisions with their needs and growth in mind, and recognising that their success is your success.

This perspective reframes leadership away from status or control and towards responsibility. Michael described how the best leaders he’s worked with weren’t the loudest or the most charismatic. They were the ones who consistently put in the work to create conditions where their people could thrive.

Why It’s Always About the People

We ended our conversation with a reflection on legacy. Leaders often want to be remembered for their achievements; the projects completed, the targets hit, the crises averted. But as Michael put it, the true measure of leadership is the impact you have on the people you lead.

Did you leave them better than you found them?

Did you create opportunities, build confidence, and help them grow?

Did you Lead with Impact?

That, ultimately, is the heart of people-first leadership. Everything else, the numbers, the strategies, the external recognition, flows from it. Without the people, there is no leadership.

Conclusion: Leading with Impact

Michael Dillard’s career in diplomacy has given him a rare perspective on leadership: one that cuts through the noise and reminds us of the fundamentals. Leadership is not about ego or authority, it’s about people.

If you want to lead with impact, start with trust, curiosity, with the relationships around you. The rest, as Michael’s career demonstrates, is built on that foundation.

So whether you’re leading a global organisation, a local business, or your first team, the same lesson applies: focus on the people, and the impact will follow.

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A thoroughly enjoyable conversation, thanks to Michael for his time and insights! To hear the full episode, here’s the link: https://smartlink.ausha.co/leading-with-integrity/ep-187-how-to-lead-with-impact-and-why-it-s-all-about-the-people-with-michael-dillard-leadership-podcasts

Or watch it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/mR0HUtB-aKg

Join me again next week for a conversation with Lynn Colepaugh about the people lessons of A.I., and how she went from professional musician to marketeer and business founder.

Hope to see you there and until then Be a Leader, Not a Boss!

- David

In case you don’t know me that well, I’m David Hatch and I’m here to help new managers and first-time founders with their leadership skills, so they can become leaders not bosses, lead with integrity, and build happier, higher performing teams, more effective organisations, and, ultimately: successful businesses.

Be more Cap, be less Redskull. Become the leader you wish you’d had, and come join my online leadership community. If you have a healthy love of sci-fi and want to learn more about leadership, then this is the community for you. Solopreneurs also welcome. 😉

Here’s the link: Integrity Leaders: Community membership and learning, for new leaders or first-time founders.