This season, it's all about the tensions. There's a sorcery required to develop new models of leadership that will thrive today, tomorrow, next year, and beyond.

Nimbleness and stability are equally vital; responsibility must be balanced with delegation; collective progress will fail without personal accountability.

Here's what we've been hearing from the collective:

#6

The emerging tensions of modern leadership

ADAPTING TO TODAY vs. TRAINING FOR TOMORROW

"We are changing so much. I know what we have planned for the next few months. But I have no idea what to do for my leaders one year out."

—Head of Leadership Development at a tech company

How do you develop leaders when the environment in which they lead is changing so quickly?
The teams responsible for leadership development are exploring what leaders most need to learn in an increasingly volatile context. Part of it is about faster skills acquisition. As new AI tools scale, many argue that leaders must get more hands-on with technology. This requires jumping in and learning new skills fast. But that is not enough. The technical skills required today will become outdated at an ever-faster pace. A deeper change is also required, one of mindset. In an AI era, the strongest leaders will master the art of continuous growth and adaptation.  

INSTITUTIONAL WISDOM vs. FRESH VOICES

"I'm seeing unprecedented levels of job-hogging. No one wants to leave in this environment. It's holding us back in a moment when we need new thinking the most."

—Head of Talent at a global retailer

"Job-hogging" happens when employees—even senior executives—cling to roles they've outgrown because the external market looks worse than staying put. For legacy organizations in particular, especially those teetering on the edge of their own AI transformation, the phenomenon is widespread.

How do you create momentum when everyone is frozen in place?
"It's fear made visible," says Venture Partner Marc Winter. "Leaders need to name it, then create the conditions where people can have honest conversations about how to optimize and unlock new value from themselves and the organization. The cost of inaction is clear: It's the status quo."

EFFICIENCY MODEL vs. APPRENTICESHIP MODEL

"Good grades from an OK school are no longer a differentiator. Tell me about a situation where you had to navigate and communicate effectively."

—Leaders at AI-first companies

AI will redefine the way we evaluate leadership potential. Traditional metrics like grades and pedigrees from "academy" organizations will matter less than the ability to be scrappy, move nimbly, and navigate unprecedented scenarios. So many of those skills could benefit from a new apprenticeship model—junior talent learning side by side with seniors.

How is your organization equipping its youngest hires to work and grow effectively in a landscape defined by constant change and uncertainty?
"I'm hearing a lot from leaders about how the AI equation is currently stacked against junior talent," says SYP's Laura Gordon. "But people are also saying it means that they need to invest even more in the juniors they are hiring—which means coaching and development are super important, and creating a new apprenticeship model that lets juniors have more insight and access to seniors early on."

SPEED vs. IMPACT

"There's a friction between rigid data-review processes and the increased need for creativity and space to experiment with these new tools."

—Executive at a major technology company

The "move fast and break things" mindset has long been a founding principle of tech companies, but that has largely been restricted to one group: technologists. Suddenly, with new tools, everyone can build, break, experiment, and explore, and that can feel terrifying for those in the old guard who are used to controlling their own fiefdoms.

How can you control while still encouraging productive chaos?
"Users of technology, rather than creators, have been told to learn and use interfaces systematically, that to break them is a problem. Now those habits have to be rethought, but in a controlled environment. You have to have hackathons, science fairs, sprints," says SYP's Kendra Cooke.

PRESERVING YOUR MAGIC vs. RECASTING IT

"As Bezos said, we just need to 'focus on what makes your beer taste better.' That's what next year is all about."

—Executive at a major entertainment company

We've heard that gem a few times this past month. Jeff Bezos referenced early breweries that built their own power generators—expensive and irrelevant to beer quality. Market winners rented electricity from utilities and focused on brewing. Your power source doesn't affect taste. The analogy resonates as leaders deploy AI capital. It's an act of prioritization as much as it is an act of modernization.

How do you ruthlessly focus on your magic?
"What's unmistakable and irreplaceable about your current relationship with customers?" provokes Venture Partner Marc Winter. "What truly differentiates you from capabilities anyone can now rent? That's where to focus your capital and energy."

A peek into SYP

A virtual event for People and Tech leaders. Leading through AI disruption takes more than new tools—it takes new alliances. Request to join an exclusive gathering between Tech and People leaders to explore how to scale GenAI responsibly, featuring insights from SYP's latest research on GenAI adoption and pioneering experiences from Matthew Breitfelder (Apollo Global Management) and George Forbes (U.S. Air Force).

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Dispatches from the Collective delivers insights from SYPartner's work through human anecdotes, practical tips, and beautiful questions designed to help C-suite leaders navigate the unknown and act with purpose—shared in the spirit of helping all of us lead in a better way. Click here to sign-up and see all previous issues.

SYPartners is a consultancy that partners with clients at their critical turning points to design new possibilities for impact, create paths for long-term value, and build cultures of competitive advantage. Since 1994, we've helped some of the world's most iconic organizations lead into the unknown.