The Two Spirals of Leadership: Are You Moving Closer or Drifting Away?

Leadership isn’t a fixed trait—it’s a journey. It’s a dynamic force that either pulls us inward toward accountability, authenticity, and engagement or pushes us outward toward avoidance, apathy, and disengagement.

Imagine two spirals:

• The First Spiral moves inward, leading toward authentic leadership by embracing qualities like responsibility, resilience, and compassion.
• The Second Spiral moves outward, pulling us away from leadership as we fall into neglect, disengagement, and avoidance.

Where you are on these spirals determines the kind of leader you are—or are becoming.

Let’s explore both:

?? The First Spiral: From Avoidance to Leadership

The inward spiral is the path toward authentic leadership. Each step strengthens your ability to lead with integrity, accountability, and purpose.

1?? Avoidance → Accountability

At the outermost edge of the spiral lies avoidance—the reluctance to face challenges, make decisions, or take responsibility. Avoidance weakens teams and creates uncertainty.

? The first step inward is accountability. Leaders who own their actions build credibility and inspire trust.

Leadership begins with taking responsibility, not avoiding it.

2?? Accountability → Engagement

Once accountable, the next step is engagement. Passive leadership isn’t leadership at all. Engaged leaders are fully present, invested in their team’s success, and consistently contributing to solutions.

? The opposite of disengagement is showing up. Engaged leaders inspire confidence and foster collaboration.

Engagement turns leadership from a title into a practice.

3?? Engagement → Compassionate Action

Engagement alone isn’t enough—it must be paired with compassionate action. Great leaders don’t just push for results; they genuinely care about people.

? The opposite of indifference is care. Compassionate leaders recognize that performance is driven by people, not just strategy.

Compassionate leadership builds loyalty, trust, and innovation.

4?? Compassionate Action → Authenticity

Compassion is most powerful when paired with authenticity. Authentic leaders don’t wear masks—they lead with honesty, vulnerability, and integrity.

? The opposite of inauthenticity is transparency. People trust and follow leaders who are real, not those who try to be perfect.

Authenticity creates the strongest relationships and the most inspiring leadership.

5?? Authenticity → Responsibility

Leadership is about taking responsibility—not just for yourself, but for those you lead. Responsible leaders ensure their actions align with their values and their team’s success.

? The opposite of neglect is stepping up, even when it’s difficult.

Taking responsibility is the mark of a leader people can trust.

6?? Responsibility → Resilience

No leadership journey is smooth. Resilience is the ability to adapt, navigate challenges, and recover from setbacks. Leaders who lack resilience crumble when times get tough.

? The opposite of fragility is strength in adversity.

Resilience ensures that leadership remains steady, even in turbulent times.

?? The Core: Leadership

At the heart of the spiral lies leadership itself. Authentic leadership is built on accountability, engagement, compassion, authenticity, responsibility, and resilience.

The closer you move toward the core, the more you embody true leadership.

?? The Second Spiral: From Leadership to Avoidance

Just as one spiral pulls us toward leadership, the other pulls us away from it. Each step outward erodes trust, weakens engagement, and diminishes leadership impact.

1?? Leadership → Neglect

At the heart of leadership is responsibility. But when leaders neglect their teams, duties, or vision, leadership begins to fade.

? The opposite of responsibility is neglect. Leaders who avoid accountability create confusion and mistrust.

Neglect is the first step away from leadership.

2?? Neglect → Inauthenticity

Once neglect sets in, inauthenticity follows. Leaders start putting on a front, making excuses, or masking their disengagement with empty words.

? The opposite of authenticity is pretense. Fake leadership doesn’t last.

Inauthenticity erodes trust and credibility.

3?? Inauthenticity → Indifference

As inauthenticity grows, leaders stop caring. Indifference signals the loss of emotional investment, making leadership transactional rather than transformational.

? The opposite of compassion is indifference.

Indifference kills culture, connection, and engagement.

4?? Indifference → Disengagement

Disengaged leaders aren’t just indifferent—they’re absent. Disengagement means losing focus, avoiding hard conversations, and failing to motivate teams.

? The opposite of engagement is withdrawal. Leaders who disengage create uncertainty.

A disengaged leader is a leader in name only.

5?? Disengagement → Irresponsibility

Disengagement leads to irresponsibility—the refusal to own mistakes, learn, or improve. Irresponsible leaders deflect blame, avoid tough calls, and fail to guide their teams.

? The opposite of accountability is deflection.

Irresponsibility weakens teams, decisions, and morale.

6?? Irresponsibility → Apathy

When irresponsibility is unchecked, apathy takes over. Leaders no longer care about results, culture, or people.

? The opposite of resilience is surrendering to indifference.

Apathetic leaders drain energy, creativity, and progress.

7?? Apathy → Avoidance

At the outermost edge, avoidance returns. Leaders stop stepping up, taking responsibility, or making decisions.

? The ultimate opposite of leadership is avoidance.

Avoidance is where leadership dies.

?? Where Are You on the Spiral?

Every leader moves along these spirals daily. The question is:

? Are you stepping into accountability, engagement, and authenticity? ? Or are you drifting into neglect, indifference, and apathy?

The more you move inward, the stronger your leadership. The more you move outward, the weaker your impact.

?? Leadership is not a title—it’s a decision to show up, every single day.

What’s Your Spiral?

?? Which qualities do you struggle with most? ?? What steps can you take today to spiral inward toward stronger leadership?

Drop your thoughts in the comments! Let’s discuss.

#Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #Accountability #AuthenticLeadership #Engagement #Resilience #GrowthMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #Inspiration #Coaching #SelfAwareness #Motivation #LeadershipJourney #LeadWithPurpose #EmotionalIntelligence

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About the Author

Deepa is a seasoned life and leadership coach, corporate strategist, and legal expert with over 27 years of experience across industries. Throughout her journey, she has witnessed that true leadership is not about titles but about showing up with accountability, authenticity, and impact.

Passionate about personal and professional transformation, Deepa enjoys engaging in meaningful conversations about leadership, resilience, and growth. Feel free to connect or reach out at [email protected] to share your thoughts and reflections.