The better leaders paradox: Leadership in constant motion

José Manuel Barroso (Chairman of the Efekta International Affairs Committee) has lived through several historic moments that have shaped his leadership style. These range from witnessing the 1974 revolution and transition to democracy in Portugal, where he would later become Prime Minister, to steering Europe through the 2008 financial crisis as 11th President of the European Commission. His message to leaders is that change is life, so it is better to embrace it and shape it in the way you want. He encourages leaders to spearhead change with humility and to “never lose your enthusiasm, even when you lose your illusions”, as this is what will galvanize others to follow.

While artificial intelligence aims to replicate cognitive functions we associate with the human mind, Dr Eve Poole OBE (Hult International Business School) observes that several distinctly human traits have been left out of its programming. These might be seen as design flaws, or “human junk code,” but she argues they are in fact the foundations of leadership. She identifies seven such traits – storytelling, uncertainty, free will, mistakes, emotion, meaning-making, and sixth sense – and encourages leaders not to lose sight of them. In an increasingly automated world, these qualities are our recipe for survival in the future, and where leaders should focus their attention.

In global organizations, leadership must be able to travel across borders. Dr Christopher McCormick (Chief Academic Officer, Efekta Education) highlights three universal foundations underpinning how we build trust in others and in leadership: competence (do you know what you are doing?), benevolence (are you on our side?), and integrity (do you do what you say?). Yet while these principles remain consistent, how we send and receive these signals varies significantly across cultures. Effective leaders must not only embody these fundamentals but also adapt how they signal them so they can travel across contexts.

Under pressure, leaders often default to silence at the very moments when communication matters most. Vicki Culpin (Professor of Organizational Behavior at Hult Ashridge Executive Education) encourages leaders to “show their workings” by making their thinking visible, even when decisions are still evolving. Transparency builds trust: people are more likely to support decisions when they understand how they were reached. Open communication, even in uncertainty, is an important shift toward better leadership.

Most of us overestimate how well we listen. When teams do not speak up enough, it can be tempting to try to 'fix’ those remaining silent. However, Megan Reitz (Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School) encourages leaders to reflect on the role of the listener in creating psychological safety. Leaders should remember that they might be more intimidating than they realize, actively invite diverse perspectives beyond their usual echo chamber, and respond well when others do speak up. The teams that are most psychologically safe are also the most innovative, since they have the most open conversations.

Time is the one truly finite resource in organizational life. Professor Vicki Culpin highlights that while we can always create more revenue or win more clients, time is limited, so we must be intentional in how we use it. With roughly 4,000 weeks in a 78-year lifespan, what we choose to pay attention to ultimately defines our leadership and our lives. Rather than trying to do everything, leaders should focus on the work where they bring unique value, and delegate what others can do just as well. Their distinctive contribution, or “comparative advantage,” is where their time is best invested.

Cecilia Sandberg (SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer at Atlas Copco Group) challenges the idea that leaders need to have all the answers. Instead, effective leadership is about building teams that do. Surrounding yourself with people who bring diverse expertise and perspectives not only strengthens decision-making, but also reduces dependency on the leader. The ultimate goal is to create an environment where the team can thrive without you, a sign not of redundancy, but of truly successful leadership.