Is Leadership Really Dead? (And Why I Still Write About It)
For many of us in the leadership world—C-level executives, trainers, consultants, and thought leaders—the past several months have sparked serious reflection. Based on what we’re witnessing globally and at home, it begs the question: Is leadership really dead?
It’s not easy, especially when standing in front of young leaders or your own children, to hold tightly to the core tenets that define truly great leadership. It can feel like the world is drifting away from those principles.
Sometimes I pause and wonder: Am I missing something? The big picture? The other side? After all, many believe we’re living in a golden age of strong leadership.
I recently rewatched Good Night, and Good Luck—George Clooney’s brilliant and timely portrayal of Edward R. Murrow’s stand against McCarthyism (and now on Broadway) —and it brought a powerful reminder to the forefront. Murrow, one of the most respected journalists of the 20th century, challenged the idea that each side doesn’t always own its own “right” or truth.
A collection of quotes, often attributed to Murrow and his contemporaries, captures the essence of his thinking:
“I simply cannot accept that there are two equal sides to every story. Our job is not to make both sides look good; our job is to tell the truth. If one side says it's raining and the other says it's dry, it's not your job to quote them both. It's your job to look out the window and tell the audience what’s actually happening.”
In a profession that often prides itself on presenting “both sides,” Murrow had the moral clarity to distinguish between good and bad, truth and falsehood. That kind of clarity is desperately needed in leadership today.
Because the current global leadership style that’s emerging is not the kind I want to teach. It’s not the model I want to write about, and it’s certainly not the one I hope to pass down to the next generation.
It is, in fact, the antithesis of true, authentic leadership. It’s the kind of leadership Murrow warned us about.
The model we increasingly see among global figures—including in the United States—is built on embellishment, force, and dominance. It’s a “take-no-prisoners” approach, what some have labeled Zero-Sum Leadership, where one side must lose in order for the other to win.
At the heart of this ongoing struggle for leadership dominance is a battle between hope and fear. Some leaders believe that to inspire transformative change and wholehearted allegiance, they must lead with hope, while others opt for fear—because it's fast, effective, and, scientifically speaking, often wins out over hope. But I’ll add this important caveat: fear only wins in the short term. Rarely, if ever, have we seen a leader sustain long-term influence through fear alone. It’s like starting a fire with gasoline—there’s an initial burst, but it quickly burns out. Hope, trust, and authenticity are the slow-burning logs that fuel a lasting flame.
Maybe that’s where we are in the current timeline: scrambling to make sense of an old but resurgent leadership style. One that bullies. One that distracts. One that believes the ends justify the means.
But here’s how I choose to think about it as I continue to write, speak, and train other leaders: the sun also ariseth (from Hemingway or Ecclesiastes - whichever you prefer). A new day will come when having a soft heart and a good mind matters more. A day when de-escalation, empathy, and understanding are seen not as weaknesses but as essential strengths. A day when we fully recognize that building a high-performance team requires diversity, respect, and inclusion.
To those of us who still believe in these ideals of leadership: keep going. Keep teaching that respect, fairness, and adaptability still matter. Build up the next generation of leaders—leaders who will rise above the authoritarian examples around them. Teach the upside-down leadership model we discussed on this site a year and a half ago:
To gain, we must serve.
To receive is to give.
Greatness is found in humility.
Our weakness can be our strength.
We lead best by serving.
Compassion is our compass.
In the Torah God gives the Israelites a set of laws and systems to set them apart from surrounding cultures. The idea wasn’t just discipline but differentiation: that their conduct would be a beacon, reflecting a God of fairness, goodness, adaptability, and yes, discipline.
In the same spirit, let’s not lose hope. Let’s continue to instruct the next generation on the true measures of leadership—because those who embody these traits will, in time, stand out above the rest. They will shine—not because they dominated others, but because they served them.
