I'm Matthew Barbour. I've spent 25 years in leadership — banking, retail, HR, people strategy. I've managed teams of two and organizations of hundreds. I've been a good leader and, honestly, at times, a not-so-good one. And somewhere along the way I realized that the leaders who left a mark weren't the ones with the best strategy or the sharpest instincts. They were the ones who made people feel like they mattered.

That's what The Human Leader Project is about.

The Dinner Table Test is simple: at the end of a workday, your employees go home. They sit down with the people they love. And often — not always, but often — they talk about work. About their boss. About how they felt today.

What gets said in those moments is the truest measure of your leadership. Not your KPIs. Not your tenure. Not your title. The story your people tell when you're not in the room.

Most leaders never think about that story. This newsletter exists to change that.

Every week, The Human Leader Project delivers:

• One essay on what human leadership looks like in practice
• Real stories from the workplace — the wins, the failures, the moments that define careers
• A question to sit with — something to carry into your week

No fluff. No corporate speak. Just honest thinking about what it really means to lead people well.

You’ll learn that my perspective is shaped by the moments that matter and in leaning into being as authentic as I can be.

Leadership is one of the most human things we do — and one of the things we talk about the least honestly. My hope is that this becomes a space where we change that. Where leaders can think more clearly, lead more intentionally, and maybe — just maybe — inspire a better story at the dinner table.

So here's my question for you this week:

What story do you think your people are telling right now?

— Matthew

If this resonated, share it with one leader in your life who might discover something new from reading it. That's how we grow — one human leader at a time.