The End of Leadership as We Know It

1Introduction: Making a Difference in Our Complex Times

Jack stopped staring at the latest launch date estimate and put his head in his hands. For the first time he could recall, he felt like a failure. Worse, he couldn't figure out why. He'd been so confident when promoted to general manager of a division at the global medical device company where he'd worked for the past six years. But the playbook he'd used in his previous positions wasn't working.

Charged with integrating artificial intelligence into the division's products, he'd assembled a small team of trusted lieutenants to formulate a strategy. He then went to each group in the division to explain the strategy and make sure they understood their role in delivering it. Sure, there were some naysayers, but he'd expected that. It was a bold move. He had plenty of data to back up his plan, so he'd pushed ahead. After all, when the division hit its revenue numbers, everyone would benefit.

Eighteen months in, he was exhausted. He felt like he was doing all the work, making all the decisions, and getting involved in addressing every little issue. Even so, he was missing delivery dates due to data quality, and he'd recently lost some key employees, including the person responsible for the machine learning model. The CEO was impatient and frustrated. Jack had never been in this situation before. He didn't know what to do.

The End of Leadership as We Know It

In coaching and consulting with hundreds of leaders, we keep hearing ...