Beyond the Numbers: Rediscovering the Value of People
Why human worth must come before metrics in the age of AI and efficiency
When businesses talk about value, the conversation almost always turns to numbers—productivity metrics, revenue streams, or return on investment. Numbers matter, of course. But they aren’t the whole story.
I’ve seen leaders chase metrics, meet every target, and still lose their teams in the process. Not because they lacked intelligence or good intent, but because they overlooked the most important truth: people are not numbers.
Robert S. Hartman, the philosopher who gave us the science of value, put it this way:
“People are more important than things or ideas, including ideas about people or things.”
That line, along with 20 years in the Marine Corps, shaped how I think about leadership. It reminds me that a person's worth isn’t found in a dashboard or a title. It is intrinsic, unconditional.
The Metrics Trap
Businesses live in tension with that truth. Roles must be filled. Results must be measured. Systems must be managed. Those are realities of leadership. The problem isn’t using metrics—it’s mistaking metrics for meaning.
I once worked with a leader who could tell you the numbers of his organization down to the decimal point. He could recite performance charts, market share, and expense ratios like a walking spreadsheet. But when I asked him about his team—their strengths, motivations, and challenges—he hesitated. “That’s HR’s job,” he said.
Many of us have worked with someone like this in our careers. You can probably say their name today! That leader didn’t last. His team left one by one, not because they couldn’t meet expectations, but because they never felt valued as people.
People First, Then Roles, Then Systems
Hartman gave us a framework for this tension—formal axiology—the science of value. He identified three ways we value:
Intrinsic (I): people, in their full and irreplaceable worth.
Extrinsic (E): roles, tasks, performance, and usefulness.
Systemic (S): rules, structures, and categories.
All three are necessary. But trouble begins when we flip the order. When systems take priority over roles, or roles over people, culture erodes. Leaders may still get short-term compliance, but they’ll never inspire long-term commitment.
The right order is simple, but radical: people first, then roles, then systems.
Why It Matters in 2025
This isn’t just a philosophical reflection—it’s a leadership necessity. Consider the challenges businesses face right now:
AI is on the rise. Tasks are being automated at lightning speed. But creativity, judgment, and moral imagination—the things that truly differentiate businesses—belong to people.
The workforce is shifting. Employees, especially younger generations, want more than a paycheck. They want purpose, belonging, and to feel that their contributions matter. If they don’t, they leave.
Trust is fragile. We’re living in an era of skepticism—toward institutions, toward leaders, even toward one another. Trust can’t be restored by dashboards or quarterly reports. It’s built only by how leaders treat their people.
These are not “soft” issues. They are the defining leadership issues of our time.
A Tool for Clarity
At Gladwood, this is why we use the Hartman Value Profile (HVP). It’s not about boxing people in with labels or personality types. It’s about clarity—helping leaders see how they themselves value, where their blind spots may be, and how to better align people with roles and environments where they thrive.
The HVP doesn’t replace metrics. It makes sure the metrics serve the right purpose: supporting people, not reducing them.
A Final Challenge
So here’s the challenge I’d leave with you:
👉 In your business, are people truly valued as people—or only as performers?
Because history shows us this: when we organize for good, starting with the value of people, everything else follows. Profits, productivity, and performance are byproducts of putting people in their right place—not as numbers to manage, but as lives to value.
Metrics matter. But people matter most.
Organizing for good
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Dave Wood
Co-Founder | Gladwood LLC
📧 dave@gladwoodllc.com
🌐 www.gladwoodllc.com