The Antidote to Our Leadership Crisis

By @Angela

Whatever your politics, it's hard to argue that we aren't facing a leadership crisis worldwide. Many of us are no longer sure what it means to be a leader, or whom we can trust to lead us. That uncertainty is a challenge for global organizations, governments, and companies and communities of every shape and size.

Here is the premise I'll put forward: leadership that comes from a need to be right, to hold power, and to control others does not drive successful results or productive change. It never has.

How I learned to lead

I came up as a leader in the early-to-mid 2000s, when servant leadership was a popular idea, likely toward the end of its reign. I was taught leadership philosophies grounded in emotional intelligence: the ability to understand different personalities and guide them toward a common goal.

When COVID hit in 2020, it brought what I now remember as the last gasp, or perhaps a resurgence, of that kind of servant leadership, at least in the organizations I was part of. I was leading a large team at the time, and every person across my global organization was going through their own crisis related to the pandemic. During that period, I leaned heavily on the empathy and calm presence that had become core to my leadership in the years before.

I also saw the need to focus and motivate my team, clearly and directly, on what we could control and get done, and to let what was outside our control take up less of our attention.

The loudest voice in the room

As we emerged from the pandemic, the rhetoric of conflict and division was loud and getting louder. A few years later, it is so loud that it is sometimes hard to hear anything else.

It's easy to believe that leading in times like these means shouting louder than everyone else, taking a strong position and holding it no matter what logic says, and controlling and managing people rather than serving and working alongside them.

AI has only reinforced this style of leadership, because it promises a future where people might not even be necessary for a leader to succeed. If the bots can do all the work, who needs EQ to lead?

More recently, we've seen a backlash against this across many populations. Humanity is fighting back, and the battle lines are being drawn.

Some will look at the November 2026 midterms and conclude the leadership crisis is over. I'd argue there's a lot more work to do to turn the ship.

Elections change who holds power, but they don't change how power is used. Voters across the map clearly said they want something different, but the real test is what comes next: whether the people now in charge, in government and in business, choose to listen, serve, and bring people along, or simply take their turn shouting louder.

Ultimately most of the leadership that shapes our daily lives was never on the ballot. It's in our companies, our teams, and our communities, and that's where the work continues.

Leadership that starts with people

I've always loved a good debate. I hold my values and beliefs dear, and I'll fight for them. But I've reached a point in my life where decades of experience are shaping my view that calm centrism will likely win the day. I could be wrong about that. One belief I find inescapable, though, is that this world is populated by billions of humans who all matter, and leadership has to start from a place of believing in humanity.

In my work, and I believe in business overall, that means marrying new ways of doing things through AI, technology, and greater efficiency with respect for the humans who still need to be part of getting things done.

This is not a blindly kind or empathetic leadership philosophy. It is founded on the belief that organizations, companies, and governments succeed only when they bring the people they serve on board with what they're selling. And most people don't want to buy from leaders or communities that defer to the bots. Humanity craves humanity.

Whether you're creating a new product or espousing a message, you need people who are buying what you're selling. Both the people working for you and the people giving their hard-earned money, resources, and energy to your organization need to see the humanity in your leadership.

This is not implying soft leadership. It requires clear, direct communication that actually connects with and motivates the people you're leading or selling to.

And if we're going to get any work done, we need to focus our people (and our bots) in a common strategic direction, with clear goals and clear ways to measure success.

Prove me right or wrong

I believe leadership is a lifelong learning process, and I will always be a student. My measure of what works and what doesn't is whether people can hear me when I speak and, ultimately, whether my words create action.

If you've read this far, maybe I've achieved that in these few paragraphs.

Leadership that is grounded in humanity and clarity in direction is the antidote to our current leadership crisis. And I welcome others to prove me right or wrong.