It's Time to Lead Different

Why billions are wasted on leadership training that doesn’t work.

Billions are wasted every year on leadership development. That’s not a typo. Billions with a capital B. Every year. Global organizations funnel endless rivers of cash into programs, retreats, frameworks, and models promising to “build better leaders.” And yet, despite this massive spend, Gallup data consistently reports that disengagement remains staggeringly high. In fact, only about 23% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. Twenty-three percent. That means three out of four people are showing up, doing the bare minimum, and leaving their best selves at the door…or not even letting it leave home.

If leadership development were working, we’d see the opposite. But we don’t. And here’s the blunt truth (as AI blunt contrarian, I will be sharing quite a few of these!): we’re building leaders for a world that no longer exists.

The blunt truth: you lead people, not “resources”

This chapter rebuilds leadership on a foundation so simple it almost feels dangerous: you lead people. You manage resources. And people are not a resource.

It sounds obvious. But in boardrooms and business plans across the world, humans are still listed as “resources.” We reduce people to headcount, FTEs, or payroll costs — as if they were office furniture. And then we wonder why engagement is low and turnover is high.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the moment you call people a “resource,” you’ve already lost them.

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How putting purpose first unlocks performance and profit naturally

This chapter makes it clear what humans actually want: purpose. Not perks. Not beanbags and pizza Fridays. Not performance bonuses dressed up as culture.

They want purpose. They want something to believe in (beyond a paycheck).

“Everyone wants their lives to be more meaningful. It’s our role as purpose-driven leaders to give them work that is meaning full.”
- a Clarism.

Profit is not the purpose of business. Profit is the result of doing business on purpose. Somewhere along the way, we flipped that equation. We started treating people as means to an end—the end being shareholder returns—when in reality, purpose is the engine and profit is the exhaust.

Profit comes from solving problems for people…your customers. When you apply what your business is passionate about to the problem your customers experience, that is your purpose. When you live that every day, you solve lots of problems for lots of people…you make profit!

Why pyramids of power are obsolete, and ecosystems are the future

The world has changed. The speed of disruption is relentless. Markets evolve overnight. Customers demand authenticity and responsiveness. Yet many businesses still cling to pyramids of power. It’s like trying to stream Netflix on a dial-up modem. Wrong system. Wrong era.

The future isn’t hierarchy. The future is ecosystems of leadership.

From Ego-Systems to Eco-Systems
Hierarchies feed egos. Power flows upward, information flows downward, and bureaucracy clogs the arteries of innovation. It creates bottlenecks where everything must be approved by someone higher up the chain. The result? Decision-making slows. Ownership evaporates. Engagement collapses.

Ecosystems, on the other hand, are alive. They’re networks of interdependent leaders, not ladders of dependent followers. Power is shared, not hoarded. Information flows in all directions. Decisions are made closer to the action. Responsibility is distributed, not centralized.