44 Leadership Lessons from Champions & Transformational Leaders

As organizations become increasingly agile while their challenges become more complex, the workforce becomes both more ambitious and less motivated, technology catalyses both progress and disruption, new challenges in leadership development emerge.

Research shows that the organization’s leadership strategy, pipeline, and programs are not up to the task. Companies ask themselves the question: “Are the strategy and rigor of leadership programs suited to face the challenges of the future?” Likewise, leaders ask themselves the question: “In a world of overwhelmed employees, how do I avoid becoming overwhelmed?” For every eight disengaged, or burned-out employees there is one manager asking him, or herself, “How do I tackle this crisis?” These challenges are often perceived as a failing on the managers’ part.

Leadership is a lonely path

There is a great loneliness in leadership. You’ve proven yourself a skilled architect of visions and strategies, a master deviser of project plans, a kingpin of stage boundaries and budgets, and a maverick of work packages. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are. But it’s not enough!

“It is not enough that he work hard,” writes sociologist William Whyte, “now, he has to be a damn good fellow to boot,” and has to, “enjoy listening…