Over 25 years ago, I was given my first leadership role.
Still quite inexperienced, fresh out of university, it was an incredible responsibility. And yes, I surely made mistakes.
Today, I look back on 25 years of leadership experience, both disciplinary and technical. My understanding of leadership has evolved greatly over time. Working with many wonderful people has left a lasting impression.
What hasn’t changed much is the general understanding of leadership. I still come across the same toxic patterns I witnessed 25 years ago.
Leaders today often still think in yesterday’s boxes – labeling people as "good employees" and "bad employees". They classify and sort, while viewing their team as a homogeneous black box tasked with achieving goals – goals that the leaders themselves have defined and passed upwards. It works well for career planning.
Those who don’t follow suit are labeled "low performers". Consequences for them? Irrelevant.
This kind of categorization provides a convenient scapegoat when reality strikes and realism takes its toll.
"The team is too negative" or "The team isn’t performing" become desperate appeals hoping to prevent the inevitable.
It’s a well-known pattern – and a standard excuse for a leader’s own failure. Because the real task would have been to build and develop a team and lead it to performance. Not through pressure or classification, but by strengthening each individual’s talents.
Through team-building activities, by improving collaboration, fostering motivation and empathy – and by creating an environment in which everyone can make the most of their strengths and potential.
Because the sum of individual strengths is far more powerful than the perceived strength of a faceless black box.
That is what sustainable leadership is all about.
Are you ready for a new kind of leadership?
If you want to learn how sustainable leadership can empower your team and secure long-term success – let’s talk! Together, we’ll build a leadership culture based on empathy, development, and real collaboration.