The Human‑Business Model©: More Than a Framework—It’s My Philosophy

It was 1987. I was barely a year into my career in training and consulting when I was handed what seemed like a small assignment: create a graphic to support a concept called the Human‑Business Model© for our customer service training materials.

The request came from Shannon Johnston, co-founder of Kaset International, and I’ll be honest—I had no idea at the time how much this would shape the rest of my career. I had just convinced Kaset to let me modernize their training tools using “desktop publishing” on a Macintosh computer (cutting-edge stuff at the time). So when Shannon asked for a visual representation of the model she’d developed with her husband, Ken, I got to work.

What they had created was simple, profound, and—as I quickly came to believe—universally relevant:

Every interaction should begin at the human level, move to the business level, and close at the human level again.

That’s it. And that’s everything.

The line I drew to represent that movement zig-zagged—because in real life, especially in healthcare, we often shift between levels. It became an anchor image in Kaset’s curriculum, printed on mugs, embedded in slides, and permanently etched in my thinking.

The Human-Business Model© is a core philosophy for patient and staff interactions.

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From Business to Healthcare

When Kaset translated the concept to healthcare training—particularly in the landmark program Achieving Extraordinary Customer Relations for Healthcare—it resonated deeply. In that context, the “business” level became the "clinical" level… but it was the same principle: take care of the task at hand. Suddenly, the model wasn’t just helpful—it was transformational.

Consider excellent examples like Studer’s AIDET® model: “Acknowledge” and “Introduce” are human. “Duration” and “Explanation” are business or clinical. “Thank you” brings us back to human again. It’s all right there.

But unlike other interaction models, the Human‑Business Model© is more than a checklist—it’s a mindset. A rhythm. A flow. And when used consistently—across every role and every conversation—it can change the culture of an entire organization.

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Flat Lines Are for EKGs, Not Conversations

I’ll never forget a heart-wrenching story I heard in a focus group from the parents of a child with severe hydrocephalus. A first-year resident entered the room, said nothing to the parents sitting bedside, and immediately began examining the child’s eyes. (The child’s condition was rare in how it affected vision, and the resident had been instructed to observe.)

No greeting. No acknowledgment. No permission.

In terms of the Human‑Business Model©, this was a flat line across the clinical level. And in healthcare, we all know—flat lines aren’t good.

The parents asked the doctor to leave and never return. They fully understood they were at an academic teaching hospital and were normally gracious about providers wanting to learn from their child’s unique case. But the absence of humanity erased all of that.

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A Model for Every Role

In healthcare, if you’re not taking care of a patient, you’re probably taking care of someone who is. That means everyone is in the “human-business business.”

That’s why I believe this model belongs not just in patient care training, but in new employee orientation, leadership development, performance conversations, and the culture of the organization. It should run through every email, meeting, hallway interaction—and every exam room.

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The Model at Work Today: Wait Management

In my new ebook, Wait Management, the Human‑Business Model© is woven throughout. Yes, we explore operational strategies to reduce ED wait times—but always paired with a commitment to the human experience.

It’s not enough to move faster. We have to move better. More transparently. More compassionately. More… humanly.

Because that’s what people remember. That’s what builds trust. And that’s what keeps great people working in this field.

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A Final Note

The Human‑Business Model© was created in 1987 by Shannon and Ken Johnston. After I began working exclusively in healthcare, I asked for and received Shannon’s permission to use it—and I do so with gratitude. It remains the heartbeat of the work I do.

Whether I’m facilitating a leadership retreat, delivering a keynote speech, writing a book, or consulting on waiting room experiences, I bring this model with me. Because it reminds us all of the same simple truth:

Human first. Business second. Human again. Always.