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The other day, I was sitting with an executive team talking about bench strength and high-potential talent. Nothing unusual. A familiar conversation in a familiar setting. But something landed differently. As the discussion unfolded, I realized we were talking about leadership the same way most organizations do – as if leadership were a noun. A thing. A label. A set of characteristics we can list, debate, and categorize. Directive leader. Participative
He walked into the Monday leadership meeting energized to rally the troops. Same approach he’d used for eight years. Fast-paced. High-energy. Rapid-fire decisions. The team called it “war room mode.” Forty-five minutes later, he noticed what he’d been missing for months: His team looked exhausted. Not energized. Exhausted. They spoke only when asked. Nodded when he made decisions. But nobody pushed back. Nobody offered alternatives. After the meeting, he pulled
John had fallen asleep answering emails again. Not because he wanted to, but because that’s what you do when you’re the one everything runs through. When you wake up mentally scanning: What’s waiting on me? What’s broken? Who needs a decision? He was the President of Lunar Aerospace. The business had grown fast. Orders were pouring in, customers demanding more, and the pace was relentless. From the outside, everything looked