Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever and Why It’s Time to Rethink It

Leadership has never stopped being important—but how we lead now will define what comes next.

Erin Clark, President and Co-founder LTI

“This is the moment for a reinvention of leadership—one rooted not in power over people, but in partnership with people. Leading Through. Together." 

I had a rare opportunity to interview the CEO, of a fortune 500 company, during the design phase of a new leadership development program. His frustration was palpable, and justified. His organization spent tens of millions of dollars every year on leadership programs with limited effect, and here we were, building yet another one. Why should he believe this one would be any different? 

More than a decade later, I still remember that conversation as one of the most uncomfortable of my career. Not because I was offended by his tone or his doubt, but because I knew he was right to ask the question. Why should the program we were developing be any different? And at the time, I didn’t have an answer. 

That conversation proved to be a turning point. It challenged me to ask my own question, one that would shape more than a decade of research and practice: why? 

Why, when thousands of leaders across companies had been trained with “leadership skills of the future,” did they fail to translate into real results? Does leadership even matter? 

It didn’t take long to conclude: yes, leadership matters...a lot. But, not in the way we’ve been thinking about it. Old ways of working and leading, built on hierarchy, control, and compliance, are cracking under the weight of complexity, disconnection, and distrust. This is the moment for a reinvention of leadership—one rooted not in power over people, but in partnership with people. Leading Through. Together. 

What does this way of thinking about leadership mean? 

• We are all called to do the work of leadership. 

• Our future will depend on how well we honor our humanity. 

• We need leadership that is deeply human. 

• The opportunity before us is extraordinary. 

  
  

The call to do the work of leadership should be felt by every one.  

Leadership is not something we have; it is something we do, together. We are all part of living systems: our families, teams, schools, organizations, and communities. Each decision, conversation, and act of care or courage contributes to the moral fabric of those systems and their ability to create the outcomes we seek. 

Whether or not we hold formal authority, we are all part of the work of leadership: to mobilize and empower people. To lead is to participate consciously in that work—to bring light where there is confusion, connection where there is distance, and renewal where there is fatigue. 

At the center of that work lies our shared humanity: the deep well of love, courage, and creativity that allows us to imagine something better together. 

The future will depend on how well we honor the truth of our shared humanity. 

Decades of research in psychology, neuroscience, and organizational behavior affirm what our lived experience tells us: 

• People thrive when they feel seen, valued, and connected to meaningful purpose. 

• Teams perform better when trust is high and belonging is strong. 

• Innovation flourishes when people feel safe to share bold ideas and take initiative. 

  
  

This understanding of leadership changes everything. It reminds us that leadership isn’t limited to position or profession, it’s about participating in the shared work of making things better, allowing others to thrive. 

And right now, that work has never been more vital. Across every sector, people are feeling the strain of disconnection and distrust. The old paradigms of control and competition are breaking down. The opportunity before us is to rehumanize leadership, to place the dignity, worth, and potential of people back at the center of how we work, live, and lead. 

The leadership we need is deeply human. 

For too long, the pursuit of profits and performance has eclipsed our humanity. What we failed to see is that when we lead with humanity first, the results follow. Efficiency deepens, creativity expands, and what once felt optimized reveals even greater potential. 

To rehumanize leadership is to remember that people are not problems to be solved. We are the original source of every solution. When we treat people as fully human, we restore the moral energy and shared responsibility that make thriving possible. We also unlock the creativity and resilience needed to meet uncertainty with imagination instead of fear. 

Leadership is not the domain of a few extraordinary individuals; it is the distinctly human work of mobilizing and empowering others to make things better and help people thrive. 

The opportunity before us is extraordinary. 

Amid disruption, polarization, and fatigue, there is also a rising hunger for meaning, belonging, and truth. When we lead through our shared humanity, when we choose love over fear, curiosity over control, and growth over perfection, we not only build stronger organizations. We build a more hopeful world. 

As I think back to that CEO’s frustration, I realize he was right to question the return on all those programs, but wrong about the root cause. The problem was never the people or the learning; it was the lens. We had defined leadership too narrowly, as traits to possess or authority to exercise, rather than as the shared human work of mobilizing and empowering people to make things better.  

That limited view led to limited outcomes. Rehumanizing leadership expands both.  

The reinvention of leadership—the work we call Leading Through—is how this happens. It is how we move beyond power and position to the deeper work of mobilizing and empowering people to thrive, together. This is how to be a leader. 

Leadership has always mattered. It has never stopped being important. But now, it is being redefined and reinvented - we invite you to join us. 

The Leading Through Institute exists to help people at every level lead with Soul, Heart, and Mind—to see the work of leadership as moral work that does good and makes things better (the Soul of leadership); to help people thrive through care, empathy, and authentic connection (the Heart of leadership); and to practice the repeatable, learnable process of action, learning, and change that mobilizes and empowers us all to create and innovate (the Mind of leadership).