I’ve been having more challenging conversations with my students lately that have forced me to reflect deeply on what we teach about leadership.
For years, I’ve advocated for relationship-centred approaches like the Service Profit Chain and Conscious Capitalism. Companies like Whole Foods, Container Store, and Southwest Airlines were the shining examples we pointed to.
But today’s students push back:

“That’s nice in theory, Mike, but in the real world, it’s the ruthless leaders who rise to the top. Look at Elon Musk.”
It’s a fair challenge. When Musk suggests that “empathy is the downfall of Western civilisation,” it directly contradicts Hannah Arendt’s view that “there is no civilisation without empathy.”
I think we’re framing the conversation incorrectly.
This isn’t about being “nice” versus “ruthless” – it’s about understanding that strong relationships create effective organisations. Even motorcycle gangs, hardly “nice” organisations, succeed through powerful relationship bonds and aligned purpose.
Perhaps what we’re witnessing in the massive push for remote work isn’t just about flexibility or convenience. Could it be that people are fleeing toxic workplace cultures? That they’re voting with their feet against environments where human connections have been devalued?
The companies once venerated for their people-first approaches may be struggling in today’s market, but I wonder about the long-term sustainability of organisations built on authoritarian leadership. Economic success achieved through fear and burnout isn’t success at all – it’s merely borrowed time.
Real leadership isn’t about being ruthlessly efficient or impossibly kind. It’s about creating environments where relationships matter, where collaboration thrives not despite but because of our human complexities.
In a world increasingly dominated by AI, algorithms, and automation, our uniquely human capacity for empathy and relationship-building isn’t a weakness – it’s our competitive advantage.
The pendulum always swings. Our job as leaders isn’t to follow it blindly but to find the timeless principles that transcend trends. And I believe that understanding the fundamental importance of human connection is one of those principles.
What are you seeing in your organisation? Has the definition of “successful leadership” changed? And more importantly, should it?
#LeadershipPhilosophy #OrganisationalCulture #ConsciousLeadership #WorkplaceCulture