Idea in Brief

The Opportunity

Conventional leadership development relies heavily on time-consuming study and training. But a new approach, which draws on faculties everyone already possesses, can accelerate and enhance those efforts.

What It Involves

The leadership-in-flow model centers on activating your inner core by tapping into five types of energy: purpose, wisdom, growth, love, and self-realization.

How to Capture It

Using one or more of 25 simple actions, leaders can tailor their responses to evolving situations and unlock peak performance in real time in both themselves and the people they work with.

Conventional wisdom holds that leadership can be developed through extensive study and training. Many organizations invest a tremendous amount of time and money in programs that teach executives how to influence, inspire, and coach others; build trust; have crucial conversations; give feedback; change people’s behavior; and more. Many aspiring leaders comb through books, attend seminars, and seek out mentors, all in an effort to understand leadership’s intricate nuances.

A version of this article appeared in the January–February 2024 issue of Harvard Business Review.