The Business Case For Systems Leaders In An Era That Glorifies Self Leadership

In today’s world, we’re bombarded with content emphasizing the importance of self-leadership. Whether it’s a popular blog post, a viral LinkedIn article, or a YouTube video on personal development, the message is clear: you must master yourself to succeed. And while self-leadership undoubtedly holds value, there’s a deeper, more collective type of leadership that is often overlooked—**System Leadership**.

The trend toward hyper-focus on individual achievement and self-improvement can lead to unintended consequences for society. By elevating self-leadership as the ultimate goal, we risk neglecting the need for leaders who see the bigger picture, who understand the interconnected nature of systems, and who prioritize collective well-being over individual success.

Let’s explore the need for System Leadership is critical and why its absence might be hurting us more than we realize.

Self Leadership: A Critical Component, But Not the Whole Picture

At its core, self-leadership is about personal accountability, self-motivation, and mastering one's own behavior to achieve personal goals. It’s about understanding your strengths, regulating your emotions, and taking charge of your own success. This leadership style is essential for personal development and is often celebrated because it places responsibility directly in our hands.

However, self-leadership on its own can be destructive. When practiced in isolation, it can foster a self-centered mentality, where leaders are primarily concerned with their own success and well-being. Without the context of the larger system, self-leadership can lead to short-term gains for individuals at the expense of long-term sustainability for the whole.

Self-leadership is actually a crucial part of system leadership—but only when it’s practiced with an awareness of the system around you. System leaders know that developing themselves is necessary but not sufficient; they must also understand how their actions influence others, the organization, and the larger society. When balanced within a system leadership framework, self-leadership becomes a powerful tool for collective progress. When disconnected, however, it risks creating leaders who are out of sync with the broader needs of their teams, organizations, and communities.

System Leadership: The Collective Perspective

System leadership, in contrast, is about seeing the organization or community as a living, interconnected system. Leaders who practice this form of leadership look beyond their own roles and responsibilities to understand how different parts of the organization, society, or environment influence one another. They recognize that no one operates in isolation, and decisions made in one area can have cascading effects elsewhere.

System leaders focus on long-term outcomes, collective success, and sustainable change. They understand that leading isn’t just about influencing people—it’s about influencing systems for the greater good. They embrace self-leadership as a part of their toolkit but use it in the context of achieving broader, collective goals.

Why the Overemphasis on Self Leadership Is Concerning

The rise of self-leadership content, while empowering on an individual level, can result in a fragmented approach to problem-solving. When too many leaders within an organization or community focus solely on their personal progress, they might miss the interconnectedness of their decisions with others. This creates a risk of disconnected leadership, where everyone is working toward their individual goals, but nobody is paying attention to how it impacts the bigger picture.

Self-leadership in isolation can create a culture of competition instead of collaboration. It can lead to silos within organizations, where departments and individuals work only for their own success, neglecting the health and success of the entire system.

Let me illustrate this with two examples—one from the workplace and one from a community context.

Workplace Example: Managing a Major Change Initiative

Imagine a company is undergoing a major organizational change, such as a digital transformation. A self-leader will likely focus on how they can adapt to the new tools and processes. They will upskill themselves, ensure they remain competitive, and perhaps encourage a few colleagues to do the same. But their focus is predominantly on how they, as an individual, can thrive in this new environment.

A system leader, on the other hand, takes a different approach. They would start by understanding how this digital transformation impacts not only their own role but the entire organization. They would consider how departments need to work together, anticipate where resistance may arise, and think about the long-term vision of how this change will benefit the company as a whole. Their concern is not just personal adaptation but the collective success of the organization.

In this scenario, while self-leadership helps individuals stay relevant, system leadership ensures the organization’s transformation benefits everyone, not just a few self-motivated individuals.

Community Example: Addressing a Social Issue

Now consider a community faced with rising unemployment. A self-leader may respond by focusing on improving their own skills and securing a job for themselves. They might take courses, network aggressively, and even share job-hunting tips with close friends and family. This is a positive approach for personal survival but has a limited impact beyond their immediate circle.

A system leader, however, would approach the challenge by considering the broader implications. They might work to create programs that address the root causes of unemployment, collaborate with local businesses and government agencies, or initiate training initiatives that benefit the entire community. Their goal isn’t just to find a job for themselves but to create solutions that uplift the entire system they’re a part of.

In this case, self-leadership focuses on personal survival, while system leadership works toward collective improvement.

The Long-Term Impact of Prioritizing System Leadership

While self-leadership builds resilient individuals, system leadership builds resilient organizations, communities, and societies. The world today is more interconnected than ever, and many of the challenges we face—climate change, inequality, economic instability—cannot be solved by individuals acting alone. These issues require leaders who can think and act on a systems level.

If we continue to elevate self-leadership as the highest form of leadership, we risk creating a society of people focused on their own survival rather than on collective progress. This could lead to fragmented organizations, communities that fail to address systemic issues, and, ultimately, a lack of long-term sustainability.

The Call for System Leadership

Now, more than ever, we need to champion system leadership. This doesn’t mean abandoning self-leadership, but rather balancing it with a broader perspective. Self-leaders should be aware of the systems they operate within, and system leaders should inspire individuals to see beyond their own roles to the collective good.

Leaders who can navigate complex systems, foster collaboration, and prioritize the long-term health of their organizations and communities will be the ones to create lasting change.

Isaac Peter is an organization development practitioner specializing in the area of culture, leadership and team. As a system thinker, he focuses on leadership practice that focuses on the whole and how the individual contributes towards it. He works with corporate clients incorporating system leadership at every level.

If you are interested to know more, contact him today.