Honor vs. Shame: The Hidden Force Driving Your Culture

“Honor builds trust and safety, not through flattery, but through real recognition.” In this episode of Business is Human, Rebecca Fleetwood Hession introduces the Humanity Quadrant, a leadership tool that challenges traditional business mindsets. The model separates performance from personal worth, promoting honor over shame. Rebecca explains how business language often undermines humanity and how embracing honor, value, and worth can transform relationships and results. Rebecca talks about intrinsic motivation, its roots in neuroscience, and how leaders can foster a safe environment for their teams. Rebecca offers practical advice on affirming human value, not just performance, and avoiding burnout by recognizing when high achievers are pushed too far. In this episode, you’ll learn:How to distinguish between honor and shame in leadershipWhy worth isn’t tied to performance and how to affirm this for yourself and othersThe impact of separating identity from results to encourage creativity and collaboration Things to listen for: (00:00) Intro (01:04) The Humanity Quadrant (04:55) Defining worth, value, and honor (09:16) Exploring the Humanity Quadrant (10:12) Handling mistakes with honor (14:43) Celebrating success with honor (21:46) The dangers of shame in the workplace (26:27) The trap of constant striving (31:52) Reflection questions Connect with Rebecca: https://www.rebeccafleetwoodhession.com/