Having witnessed different leadership styles over the last 20 years, one question I’ve often wondered about is why leadership styles have shifted so sharply, across both corporate and political spheres.
Earlier, leadership authority flowed from ethics, professional credibility, and stewardship of systems, and was about continuity rather than visibility. Leaders built power by strengthening norms and enabling others; charisma and dominance were secondary to trust.
With rising competition and heightened scrutiny, authority increasingly had to be asserted rather than assumed. Leadership became more assertive and personalised, where decisiveness and visible control signalled competence. This marked a shift from institutional legitimacy to leader-centric authority.
What looks like a dramatic change is really leadership adapting to what the environment rewarded.
The question now is, as expectations continue to shift, what kind of leadership will this moment demand?
For context a few style changes that have happened and much has been written:
– 1990s: Strategic and Transactional: e.g., Jack Welch
– 2000s: Visionary and Transformative: e.g., Steve Jobs
– Late 2000 – early 2010s: Ethical, and Adaptive: e.g., Howard Shultz
– Late 2010s: Inclusive and Purpose
– Post COVID: Empathetic and Agile
On Leadership
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