A few Fridays ago, I was lucky enough to hear Australian journalist Leigh Sales speak at an International Women’s Day event.

If you know Leigh Sales, you’ll know she is one of Australia’s most respected journalists – smart, thoughtful, incredibly prepared and deeply curious about people. She is also very authentic and down-to-earth. And if you don’t know her, I can assure you she is one of the best at what she does (an absolute Australian gem).

During her keynote she shared a number of stories from her career, but one in particular stayed with me.

She spoke about one of her favourite interviews with former Australian cricketer Shane Warne. But before she got to the interview itself, she talked about her approach.

Whenever she interviewed someone, she didn’t just prepare questions. She prepared to understand the person. She would read, watch, listen and really try to step inside their world – to understand how they thought and what mattered to them.

With Warnie, she knew this mattered even more. He’d had more than his share of media attention over the years, and not always the kind you’d welcome. So, she went looking for something that would truly reach him.

And she found it.

She noticed something while watching him bowl. Batsmen would turn around and look at their stumps in disbelief – bowled out in a way they simply couldn’t explain. It was Warnie’s gift. He didn’t just bowl people out. He bamboozled them.

During the interview, she shared that observation with him. And in doing so, she wasn’t just describing what he did. She was describing the experience of it – the way he saw it and what he likely felt.

You could see the shift straight away. Warnie leaned in. He relaxed. He opened up.

Because Leigh had shown him something important: that she understood him.

When your leaders and team members feel understood, they will trust you. In fact, research in psychology consistently shows that when people believe someone genuinely understands their world, they are far more likely to trust that person and engage in a more open and meaningful way.

It reminded me of something I write about in my upcoming book The Connect Effect – the importance of knowing someone and then showing them that you know them.

So, this week I’m wondering… who in your world could benefit from you showing that you truly understand them?

Understanding your people deeply, and showing them that you do, is one of the smartest and most human things you can do as a leader. And in a world where AI is getting better at making others feel understood, it matters more than ever that it comes from you.

Until next week, be well and lead well.

Kylie