Real Leadership mindset and everyday leaders

Is the Leadership Paradigm Broken?

Disclaimer: We have learned almost too much about leadership through our the various trainings we ran in 2024, such as our recent HiPo Accelerator program (article here), one of our full-on bespoke Academies. We wanted to simplify and share what we discovered. This article talks about real leadership.

Not the fancy, glossy poster of leadership, that’s all too prevalent in corporates, that encapsulates visions of power and importance and seniority, pretty expensive suits and ties and heels, or carefully manicured hands holding sprouting seedlings. The wise leader standing behind their team, capturing an image of strong mentorship and empowerment. The visualisation of a navy blue arrow pointing in the opposite direction to a sea of warm yellow arrows, indicating strategic direction, boldly going against the status quo, or just misguided stubbornness.

This article is not about the ‘clever’ word-plays that stand out as ‘powerful’ quotes, regurgitated by management gurus the world over, i.e. “Live to Win, Win to Live” kind of thing. None of that unreal leadership fluff.

Perhaps, the leadership paradigm we’re so attached to has broken along the way. And now is the time for more authenticity and less ‘fakeness’.

Real Leadership in Everyday People

Let’s talk real leadership.

To do this, we need to talk about real heroes. Everyday people who rise up to the challenge of the moment. Normal people whom people ignore, for the most part. The overlooked. The dismissed. The marginalized. The everyday people we so easily keep imprisoned in the stereotypes we assign them to. “Oh, Mary’s shy and introverted, she could never lead a team!”, we hear some say. “John’s just too set in his ways to be able to ‘empower’ people!”, we hear others say.

We tend to believe that these personality labels (or whatever you want to call them) are not part of a leader’s makeup. Introverted, shy, stubborn, talkative, skeptical, perfectionist, reserved, argumentative, amiable. No, we tend to stereotype the leader persona as made up of adjectives such as assertive, empathetic, empowering, driven, confident, and all that.

So, it makes sense that we neglect to truly ‘see’ everyday people and imagine their potential. Because we’ve been told that real leaders are something special, they’re an image of perfection, and everyday people just don’t fit into the leadership persona we’ve crafted in our minds.

But these everyday heroes are all around us. They’re the quiet ones who step up during a crisis without even blinking an eye. The ones who naturally draw people to them, not because of any formal authority, but because they’re genuine. Real. They lead through their actions, their character, their raw humanity.

The Authentic Leaders All Around Us

Take Sarah from accounting, the ‘perfectionist’ who everyone thought would get stuck on the details and not be able to see the big picture; therefore, not leadership material. Sarah doesn’t have a fancy MBA. No leadership seminars under her belt. But when the system crashed and panic spread through the office, she was the one who gathered everyone around her desk, broke down the problem into manageable chunks, and kept people focused and calm. She didn’t do it because she was trying to be a leader. She was probably unaware she was doing anything special when she acted. But, she was.

Or how about Marcus, the warehouse worker who everyone thought was “too reserved” to ever lead? Yet when the new automated system was implemented, which required re-learning everything that was ever learned about the process, he quietly embraced the change and became the go-to person, patiently teaching others, creating informal guides, making sure no one felt left behind. He didn’t do all this because it was his job. Marcus simply saw people struggling and he wanted to help.

These are the real leaders who emerge from the shadows of stereotypes. They don’t fit the glossy corporate image. They don’t quote Sun Tzu in meetings. They don’t have a carefully crafted “personal brand.” Instead, they have something far more valuable: authenticity.

And here’s the interesting thing about these everyday heroes: Their “weaknesses” often become their greatest strengths. That introvert who everyone thought couldn’t lead? Their ability to listen deeply and think before speaking creates a space where team members feel truly heard. The perfectionist who was labeled “too detail-oriented”? They build trust through their thoroughness and reliability.

A Leader is Human, Just Like You And Me

This is what real leadership looks like. It’s messy. It’s imperfect. It’s human.

But not everyone who can lead will become a good leader. Because good leadership requires something beyond capability and performance and ambition, doesn’t it? It requires the courage to be yourself, to be vulnerable, to admit when you don’t have all the answers. It requires the humility to be yourself, flaws and all. It requires the strength to let others shine, to step back when needed, to create space for growth.

The truth is, real leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about having the courage to say “I don’t know, but let’s figure it out together.” It’s not about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about creating an environment where everyone feels smart enough to contribute.

These everyday leaders make an impact not through grand gestures or motivational speeches, but through small, consistent actions. They show up. They listen. They care. They do what needs to be done without seeking recognition. They lead by example, not by authority or fancy degrees adourning the wall behind their chic executive chair.

And perhaps most importantly, they understand that real leadership isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being present. Present in the moment. Present for otherr people. Present in their authenticity.

A New Understanding of Real Leadership?

So how do we nurture these everyday leaders? How do we create environments where they can emerge and thrive?

I don’t know, maybe, just saying, we need to shatter our preconceptions about what a leader looks like. Leadership doesn’t wear a suit. It doesn’t speak in buzzwords. It doesn’t need a corner office. Most of the everyday leaders we come across don’t even know they’re doing anything special. Of course they have ambitions and goals just like the rest of us, but perhaps they’re not driven by their ambitions and goals. This is key to understanding their power to lead.

Perhaps one of the issues which creates this leadership discord in me, is the actual title itself. Leader. By definition, everyone else is a follower, right? Perhaps we need to change this to Facilitator.

Sure, we also need to create an environment where people can feel safe in stepping up to do what needs to be done. Where different styles of leadership are not just accepted but celebrated.

And maybe, we also need to recognize that leadership isn’t a destination. It’s not achieved once you get the job title. That difference in ambition I just talked about? Maybe real leadership should be considered more as a journey. Of continuous learning, of growing, of becoming more authentically ourselves. I mean, we all know this, but we don’t ever approach the potential of leadership in this way.

There Is No Leadership “How To” Guide

Some of the best leaders that have shaped our world, aren’t the ones who try to fit some predetermined mold. They’re the ones who break the mold entirely, who lead from a place of authenticity, who show us that true leadership isn’t about being perfect but about being real.

And maybe that’s the most important lesson of all. The power of leadership doesn’t lie in trying to become someone else’s idea of a leader. It lies in having the courage to be yourself, and in doing so, showing others that they can do the same.

After all, there is no leadership “How to” guide, and that’s the truth!

The everyday, real leadership is all around us, if we allow ourselves to see it.

The Next HiPo Accelerator program

Shorter and punchier. Condensed HiPo potential awesomeness. Rapid Visual AI will help us enhance and speed up their innovation learning and efforts. And some of our upcoming ‘people development’ AI tools, will help us maximise time and content delivery even more!

Yes, the HiPo Accelerator is always built to accelerate leadership potential. But at its heart, this program isn’t just about creating leaders. It’s about transformation. It’s about watching people discover strengths they never knew they had. And acknowledging the weaknesses they think drag them down, and evolve these back into unique strengths. It’s about building a community of role models and innovators who’ll carry BSM forward into whatever challenges tomorrow brings.

So, here’s to our HiPos, past, present, and future. Keep pushing boundaries. Keep asking “what if?” And most importantly, keep being authentically, unapologetically you.

Isn’t that what leadership is really about?