The visionary. The girlboss. The strategic leader. The “natural.”
Every few months there’s a new type of leader we’re supposed to be.
And every time, it comes with a book, a workshop, a podcast series and about 400 LinkedIn posts telling you this is THE way to lead now.
So you try it. You read the book. You take the quiz. You change how you talk in meetings.
And a few months later? There’s a new label.
Why this keeps happening
A new label is easy to sell.
It fits on a book cover. It turns into a two-hour workshop. It makes a great headline. And it promises something we all want: a shortcut. Just lead like this, and everything clicks.
The industry knows that. So it keeps repackaging leadership into the next big trend, because trends sell.
The label changes every year. The skills underneath it never do.
What it does to the rest of us
Here’s what all those labels have in common. They tell you how to show up.
Be softer. Be louder. Be more nurturing. Be more strategic. And if your natural style doesn’t fit the box? Then you must be doing it wrong.
So you adjust. And adjust again. And at some point you’re spending more energy figuring out which version of leader to be than actually leading.
If you’ve been chasing these trends, that makes total sense. You care about getting it right. You want to be good at this. Wanting a map is a very normal thing to want when nobody ever handed you one.
You just deserve a better map than the one that changes every six months.
I bought into it too!
I used to call my business “feminine leadership.”
Now I just call it leadership development, because that’s exactly what it is. You as a human and you as a leader are the same person, and you shouldn’t need a new label to lead as her.
What great leaders actually have in common
Some of the best leaders I know are direct, decisive and a little intense. Others are quiet, calm and lead with questions.
Both can be incredible leaders. Both can be kind.
What they share has nothing to do with a trend. They know how to stay steady when the launch date moves for the third time. They trust their own read. They bounce back from a hard day without making it a hard week.
Those are skills. We call them Self-Skills around here, and they look different on every person who has them.
No label required.
Where we’re going next…
Labels are only one piece of how the leadership industry sells to us. In part two, we’re getting into the tools companies love most: the offsite, the personality test and the 360. What they’re actually good for, and where they stop helping.
So just remember, around here, this is leadership development that doesn’t put you in a box.
What leadership label left you feeling boxed in?