What Leadership Gurus Do, When They DON'T KNOW What To Do....

In a world bursting at the seams with leadership gurus, one might expect an arsenal of tools at their disposal to tackle the complexities of effective leadership. 

Yet, here we are, awash in an ocean of buzzwords and descriptors while the real underlying problems remain unsolved. 

The leadership development industry has devolved into a cycle of labeling and marketing, creating a shiny facade rather than a substantive foundation and its costing CEOs and companies Millions. 

Let’s get one thing straight: we don’t need more adjectives to decorate the word "leadership." 

What we need is a robust process, a systematic approach to creating behaviour change and developing leaders and who can truly drive change and inspire their teams. 

When leadership gurus find themselves at a loss—when the result-driven metrics just aren’t materializing—they often resort to a simple strategy: they change the name of the game and because professionals are always looking for What's New, more books are sold and keynotes sold out but yet toxicity increases.

They spin the wheel of terminology, rebranding old concepts with new, trendy phrases while neglecting the essential question: “How do we change behavior?”

The industry has provided TRAINING but not the tools and methodologies to create TRANSFORMATION, which is what we really need.

The Reality Check: Leadership Is About People, Not Buzzwords

Whether it’s transformational leadership, servant leadership, or authentic leadership, the essence of effective leadership boils down to one thing: people. Employees and Senior Executives just want leaders to behave better and treat people well.

We want leaders who resonate with their teams, who can show empathy, who can steer the ship through turbulent waters and who can develop trust. The industry has recognized this need and, in a whirlwind of creativity, has churned out various adjectives to describe the qualities of the leaders we aspire to be.

But let’s be brutally honest. Descriptive words alone don’t cut it. They don’t address the heart of the issue, which is often a deep-rooted lack of self-awareness, emotionality, and adaptive capability in leadership practice. 

Leaders cannot display desired behaviours unless they address the underlying pain experiences that they themselves went through and have not processed. These pain experience shaped their Mindset and Beliefs.

Some (few) have tried to raise the issue - Leadership Guru Robin Sharma said 'Over the past number of years I’ve been a bit of a lone voice in the wilderness, evangelizing a message that emotional healing is absolutely essential to expert performance.

Heartset work [introduced in The 5AM Club] allows you to dissolve the repressed regret, disappointment, shame, anger and sorrow that we all experience as we advance through life.

Working on a better Mindset while neglecting your Heartset sets up a situation of self-sabotage where your intellect knows what you should do yet your emotional world keeps you limited.'

Leaders have gone through pain experiences and unless these are processed, you cannot get authentic, compassionate, servant leadership.

Gurus need to step up, acknowledge this gap, and take responsibility for delivering substantive frameworks that catalyze real change.

Rebranding Fails to Address Fundamental Issues

When leadership gurus find themselves in a tight spot—when they’ve run out of effective strategies or when their promising frameworks don’t yield results—they don’t typically go back to the drawing board. Instead, they rush to launch another trendy concept, hoping to keep their relevance alive in an industry that thrives on novelty. 

In doing so, they perpetuate a cycle of superficiality that leaves aspiring leaders fulfilled with empty rhetoric instead of actionable strategies.

For instance, the rise of "authentic leadership" promised deeper connections and transparency. Yet, many leaders still struggle to connect on a meaningful level, falling prey to old habits and bacteria-ridden dynamics that thrive in corporate environments. 

When the new approach fails to deliver the promised outcomes, the gurus pivot and introduce "compassionate leadership," another feel-good term that sounds nice but lacks an operational framework that can be effectively implemented.

What’s Really Needed is a Systematic Approach That Deals with the Root Cause

What the leadership development industry desperately needs is an approach that goes beyond charming words and inspirational quotes. We need a systematic process for behavioral change that includes:

1. Assessment and Reflection: Leaders must first take ownership of their current reality. This means robust self-assessment tools that dissect their strengths and weaknesses, providing insights into their observable behavioral patterns. Typical psychometrics are not data-rich for this purpose and there are new tools in the market for this. It’s uncomfortable, but necessary.
2. Drivers and Origins : Beliefs/Mindset drive behaviours and the process needs to uncover the hidden beliefs that create automatic behavioural responses. Behaviour change is simply not sustainable if these beliefs and mindset are not identified and processes. Unsupportive Beliefs and Mindsets are formed from pain experiences and this process can also be uncomfortable but necessary. R. Michael Anderson , author of Leadership Mindset 2.0 is one who is doing great work in this area.
3. Coaching for Rewiring: Once leaders have a clear understanding of where they stand, they need ongoing support from experienced coaches who can guide them through the process of change. This isn’t a one-off training session; it’s an ongoing relationship utilising neuro-science informed techniques that create new neural pathways. The relationship should also foster accountability and growth.
4. Practical Skill Development: Leadership isn’t an abstract concept; it’s about real-life interactions. Coaching should focus on practical skills, from conflict resolution to effective communication strategies. These skills must be immediately applicable in day-to-day operations.
5. Habit Formation & Feedback Mechanisms: With any behavioral shift, feedback is essential. Leaders need 360-degree feedback tools that not only celebrate their successes but also highlight areas needing improvement. This should be an iterative process; learning and growth never truly stop.
6. Embedding Change into Culture: Any behavior change needs to be systemic. Leadership should be woven into the organizational culture, with values and expectations that encourage continuous development and empowerment of not just leaders, but everyone in the organization.

The Courage to Be Different

Let’s be clear: this is not a call to demonize the gurus who have made a career out of leadership consulting. This is a wake-up call for the industry to take the reins and genuinely serve its purpose. 

The status quo is no longer acceptable. Aspiring leaders deserve more than catchphrases; they need actionable, results-oriented frameworks that boil down the complex science of behavior into something practical and impactful.

Leadership is a journey, not a destination, and it requires truly bold moves. The industry must move past the endless cycle of rebranding and instead cultivate a landscape rich with actionable processes that foster real change.

So, what do leadership gurus do when they don't know what to do? Unfortunately, they often hide behind a rebranding curtain, hoping the new buzzwords will satisfy the audience. 

It’s time to pull back that curtain and reveal the bold truth: we need a different process, not just a different name. The leadership industry must embrace this challenge if it hopes to propel leaders—and, by extension, organizations—into a future that is vibrant with integrity, effectiveness, and real impact.

Shane Ram