The Art of Leadership: Igniting Possibility and Human Magic

“The conductor is the only musician on the stage who does not make a sound.” — Ben Zander

When Ben Zander was in South Africa in 2008, I must have heard him say these words over 50 times. And every time, they sparked a ripple of insight in the room. His next sentence landed even more powerfully:

“His power is dependent on his ability to make others powerful.”

I have since watched countless leaders in workshops experience a moment of clarity when they hear these words. They suddenly see leadership not as directing or controlling, but as creating the conditions for others to make their best contribution and live their best lives.

The leadership crisis: Holding onto an outdated story

We have a leadership crisis in the world. Not because we lack people in leadership positions, but because we continue to hold onto an outdated leadership story—one that tells us that leaders must know the way, show the way, and give direction. This is a story about leaders as parents, heroes or saviours, who will look after us and lead the way so that we can follow. The inevitable result? People feel stuck, disempowered and stifled, unable to make their best contribution.

This model of leadership, rooted in the industrial era, was built for efficiency and control. Leaders were the thinkers, and employees were the doers. This worked in an age of mass production and rigid hierarchies. But in a world of complexity, rapid change, and knowledge-driven work, this approach is not only outdated—it is actively damaging.

I am reminded of Gary Hamel’s work on “Management 2.0” and his damning evaluation that “most organisations are not fit for human life”. Might this be because of our outdated story about leadership?

Hubert Joly, in The Heart of Business, argues that true leadership is about igniting human magic. Organizations don’t succeed because of rigid control, but because they create conditions where people feel valued, connected, and able to bring their best selves to work. This means shifting from command-and-control leadership to a model that prioritizes purpose, human connection, and creating an environment where people can shine.

We need leaders with a spirit of generosity

I am reminded of a workshop at Ashridge in 2002, where a group of leaders from the BBC were exploring the nature of leadership. A young woman made a profound observation:

“To be a leader, you need a spirit of generosity.”

She had discovered something critical: true leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room. It is about celebrating the people around you as contributors, thinkers, and innovators.

From 'Smartest in the room' to 'Enabler of possibility'

When I was a young consultant at one of the ‘Big 5’ firms, the instructions were clear:

• Make sure your clients know how smart you are.
• Dress smartly, drive a smart car, and always carry a folder filled with documents—symbolizing that you have something important to say.
• As a woman, tie up your hair—because long, untied hair would mean you will not be taken seriously.

And yet, when I worked with clients, I discovered something that surprised me: no one cared how smart I was. They didn’t want to be impressed by my knowledge; they wanted to know that I could help them deal with the challenges they were grappling with. They were usually not interested in my formulaic solutions. They wanted to know that I am willing to think and work with them – as an authentic and trustworthy partner, not a ‘knowing’ consultant.

When I positioned myself as the ‘expert consultant with all the answers,’ people were irritated. When I showed up as a collaborative thinking partner, curious, interested, and ready to engage in a spirit of generative partnership, they were eager to work with me.

The cost of restricting thinking to those at the top

Many years ago, I worked with a large organization where it was clear: thinking was reserved for those at the top. Employees were expected to execute, not contribute. Leadership meant giving instructions, and ‘good employees’ were those who followed them without question.

The most painful part?

I recently spoke to a senior manager who had just joined the same organization recently (15 years later), and she told me:

“I have been told that I have to be careful to ensure that my team knows they are here to ‘do’, not to ‘think’.”

What a waste! An organization of 70,000 employees, waiting for instructions from a few people at the top. And then we wonder why so many workplaces feel disengaged, de-energized, and uninspired.

Cultivating a Constructive culture: Where people can do their best work

The Human Synergistics Circumplex Model highlights that the most effective organizations cultivate a Constructive Culture—one where leaders create environments where people can make their best contributions.

Constructive cultures foster:

• Achievement → Encouraging people to set meaningful goals and take ownership of results.
• Self-Actualizing → Valuing creativity, curiosity, and personal growth.
• Humanistic-Encouraging → Developing others, mentoring, and investing in relationships.
• Affiliative → Fostering trust, collaboration, and teamwork.

Organizations with a Constructive Culture outperform those with top-down, hierarchical models. Leaders in these environments ignite possibility by:

• Encouraging independent thinking instead of micromanaging.
• Creating psychological safety so that people feel free to contribute.
• Shifting from 'power over' to 'power with'—fostering shared leadership.

?The research is clear: When teams contribute their best thinking, they perform better

• Human Synergistics' research on Constructive Cultures shows that organizations that foster trust, collaboration, and constructive leadership significantly outperform those with hierarchical, command-and-control models.
• Amy Edmondson’s work on Psychological Safety reinforces that organizations where people feel safe to speak up, share ideas, and challenge assumptions experience higher levels of innovation, resilience, and team performance.
• Edgar Schein’s work on Humble Leadership highlights that leaders who practice humble inquiry—listening, asking questions, and valuing input—develop organizations where people feel psychologically safe and motivated to contribute.
• Lynda Gratton’s research on Collaborative Advantage explores how trust, human connection, and cross-functional collaboration build long-term resilience and success.

A call to redefine leadership as a generative partnership between adults (rather than a parent-child relationship)

“A great conductor’s success is measured not by how well he performs, but by how well his musicians perform.” - Ben Zander

This is the leadership model we must embrace. Leadership is not about knowing and controlling—it is about igniting, enabling and unleashing.

We don’t need more leaders who ‘know the way.’ We need leaders with the generosity to create spaces where others can make their best contribution.

So, let’s ask ourselves:

• How can we redefine leadership not as power over others, but as power to inspire and ignite?
• What would change in our workplaces if we truly believed that everyone in the organization has valuable contributions to make?
• And what might become possible if we finally let go of the outdated idea that leadership is about being the smartest person in the room?

The leaders who will shape the future are not the ones who make the most noise. They are the ones who create symphonies—by ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard.

#Symphonia #ArtOfPossibility #TimeToThink #FlawlessConsulting #PartnersForPossibility

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