Recently, I had the privilege of seeing label•less, an Off-Broadway musical created by Drew and Lea Lachey. It is not your typical show. There are no clear heroes or villains, no perfect resolutions. Instead, it is a series of interwoven stories, part concert and part conversation, designed to help us see one another without judgment.
By the end of the night, something clicked for me. As I watched the audience lean in, laughing, crying, and recognizing themselves in others, I realized I was witnessing the very essence of what great leaders and coaches strive to do every day: help people feel seen, heard, and valued without the weight of labels.
That is what I call Coaching Without Labels.
The Science Behind the Story
In my work studying the neuroscience of leadership and performance, I have learned that the human brain is wired for efficiency. We categorize people almost instantly. These shortcuts, what psychologists call heuristics, help us make sense of the world quickly. But they can also limit us.
When a leader subconsciously labels someone as “high potential” or “difficult,” that label shapes every future interaction. The brain begins filtering information to confirm the bias. Suddenly, the label becomes reality, not because it is true, but because it is reinforced.
label•less confronts that same human tendency head-on. The characters reveal how being boxed in by identity, by race, gender, sexuality, background, or past mistakes, creates isolation. But when they shed those labels and see each other for who they truly are, connection and healing begin.
In leadership, the same principle applies: labels are shortcuts that block empathy. When we remove them, we unlock potential.
What It Means to Coach Without Labels
Coaching Without Labels is not about ignoring differences. It is about approaching others with curiosity instead of assumption. It is choosing to see the person before the performance.
When I teach or coach leaders, I often ask:
“Who on your team would surprise you if you stopped defining them by their title or their past?”
The answers are always eye-opening. Leaders realize that the quiet team member might be the most creative thinker in the room. The challenging employee might simply need a leader who listens differently. The star performer might be silently burning out.
Coaching Without Labels invites leaders to slow down long enough to see those nuances, to ask better questions, and to build trust rooted in genuine understanding.
What Leaders Can Learn from label•less
- Everyone has a story beneath the surface.
Every character in label•less is more than the label the world gives them. The same is true in your organization. When you take time to hear someone’s story, you rewire your brain for empathy and theirs for trust. - Connection begins with vulnerability.
The most powerful scenes in the show are the rawest. People speak truths they have hidden. Leaders who are willing to be authentic and vulnerable create psychological safety that invites others to do the same. - Identity is not limitation.
Just as label•less celebrates the freedom of self-definition, great coaching helps people rewrite their own narratives. When a leader helps someone move from “I’m not confident” to “I’m learning to lead with confidence,” everything changes, both neurologically and emotionally. - Empathy is a performance enhancer.
Neuroscience tells us empathy activates the same neural networks that drive collaboration and innovation. Teams that feel safe and understood do not just perform better; they think better.
A Personal Reflection
I have spent most of my career helping leaders understand the science behind human performance. But label•lessreminded me of the art. Leadership is less about systems and more about souls.
The show’s message, that we are all more than the labels we have been given, mirrors what I see in every coaching conversation that truly transforms someone. The moment a person feels seen for who they are rather than judged for what they are not, their brain literally changes. Cortisol (stress) decreases. Oxytocin (trust) increases. Creativity, motivation, and clarity follow.
That is the goal of Coaching Without Labels: to help people reconnect with their best selves and to help leaders build cultures where that transformation is possible.
Leading Beyond Labels
Imagine what would happen if every leader led without labels, if every meeting was approached with curiosity instead of conclusions, empathy instead of evaluation.
