A truck driver is involved in a crash with a passenger vehicle. The first thing he does is call his safety manager — before calling 911.

Company policy calls for the driver to remain in his truck until authorities arrive, so he doesn’t get out to see if someone in the car is injured or needs help he could provide.

Someone probably put these policies in place to avoid drivers saying things that could later be used against them. But as Jennifer Akre of law firm Tyson & Mendes explained at Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange, the cold-hearted and calculating nature of such a policy can work against you in court. There, plaintiff’s attorneys will do their utmost to create anger in the minds of the jurors directed against your company, your driver, your policies, for its disregard for others.

That’s why one of the strategies the firm uses in fighting nuclear verdicts is to personalize the defendant — or as Akre put it, “be human.”

What Does it Mean to be Human?

What does it mean to be human? I decided to ask ChatGPT, and it was a pretty good answer. Here’s a slightly edited version:

• Consciousness and self-awareness: The unique ability to reflect on their own existence, contemplate the past and future, and understand their own thoughts and emotions.

• Emotional depth: The capacity to feel a wide range of emotions — love, empathy, fear, joy, sorrow — and to form deep connections with others.

• Complex social relationships: Humans form intricate social structures and communities. They care for one another, cooperate, and build cultures that pass down traditions, knowledge, and values.

• Moral and ethical understanding: A sense of right and wrong and the ability to make moral decisions, often guided by empathy, compassion, and the understanding of justice.

• Creativity and imagination: Humans express themselves through art, storytelling, innovation, and problem-solving.

• The search for meaning: Humans often seek purpose or meaning in life, asking existential questions about their place in the universe and the significance of their actions.

• Imperfection and growth: To be human is to be imperfect, to make mistakes, and to learn and grow from them, constantly evolving as individuals and as a species.

Leadership and Humanity

Being human is a key factor in leadership success, according to the HDT Emerging Leaders profiled in this issue. When asked what makes a good leader and how they lead, again and again the answers were similar: Empathy. Understanding. Caring.

Employees are not interchangeable playing pieces on a game board. They are humans, each with a unique set of strengths, talent, experience, and challenges. They are not all motivated and excited by the same things. They learn differently. They communicate differently. They have personal lives outside of work.

A good manager, a good leader, works to nurture the talents and strengths of each employee and help them improve and grow.

For instance, for one person, access to new technology tools such as AI to help boost productivity is just what they need. But another may need a more hands-on personal approach to help prioritize tasks.

Yes, I understand the irony of using artificial intelligence to help me write something on being human. (The definition is ChatGPT’s, the rest of the column is my own.)

AI makes a lot of people nervous. Will we be put out of work by robots? Will AI-generated deepfakes make it impossible to tell what’s real?

What makes us human is more important than ever.