The End Of Old-School Leadership: How Trust, Curiosity, And Purpose Are Redefining Success

Forbes

06-05-2025

Leadership is harder — and more consequential — than ever. While many companies still cling to 20th-century models of control and efficiency, employees — and customers — are demanding something different: real trust, emotional maturity, and purpose-driven action. As leadership expert and organizational psychologist Christie Smith, PhD, explains in her book Essential ( Smith Monahan ), "We're using 20th-century leadership models in a 21st-century world — and it's costing companies billions."
Today's most effective leaders are moving beyond traditional emotional intelligence into something deeper: emotional maturity. They're meeting new employee expectations. And they're breaking through the inertia and fear that keep organizations stuck.
Emotional intelligence (EI) has been a popular leadership concept since the 1990s. But according to Christie Smith, PhD, emotional maturity is what sets apart the leaders needed today.
"Emotional intelligence can be measured and forgotten," Smith notes. "Emotional maturity shows up in every interaction."
Mature leadership requires the suspension of self-interest. getty
Mature leadership requires the suspension of self-interest. It's not about the leader's ego, control, or advancement; it's about the people and humanity within the organization. Emotional maturity demands consistent curiosity about others, contextual competence, and the ability to hold space for complexity without defaulting to fear or defensiveness.
In this evolving model, consistency matters more than perfection. As Smith and others observe, even horses — prey animals attuned to threats — don't react negatively to fear. They react to inconsistency. In the workplace, employees, like horses, don't expect leaders to be flawless; they expect them to be real.
The employee-employer contract has fundamentally shifted. No longer are employees simply asking, "Am I a fit for this company?" Increasingly, they are asking, "Is this company a fit for me?"
Smith's research in Essential identifies four key expectations employees have of leadership today: Purpose: Alignment between a company's stated mission and its actual behavior. Employees and customers are grading organizations on this alignment in real time.
Alignment between a company's stated mission and its actual behavior. Employees and customers are grading organizations on this alignment in real time. Agency: Flexibility over how, when, and where employees work, along with the ability to define their identities on their own terms.
Flexibility over how, when, and where employees work, along with the ability to define their identities on their own terms. Wellbeing: Authentic support that acknowledges the full human realities employees bring to work.
Authentic support that acknowledges the full human realities employees bring to work. Connection: Genuine dignity and belonging, not simply inclusion by numbers.
This shift was already evident during the Great Resignation. As highlighted in a 2021 Forbes article on CEO strategies for retention, leaders who failed to meet employees' rising expectations around autonomy and meaning faced historic levels of attrition.
Ignoring these four elements isn't just an engagement issue; it's a business risk. According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace report, low employee engagement and trust are costing the global economy an estimated $8.8 trillion annually—equivalent to 9% of global GDP. Inertia and Fear: The Real Enemies of Progress
If the need for change is clear, why do so many leaders double down on outdated approaches?
"Fear is a powerful thing," Smith notes. Fear of losing control. Fear of failing. Fear of being vulnerable. In a world of relentless complexity—technological shifts, geopolitical instability, generational turnover—many leaders are reverting to old-school command-and-control habits.
Many leaders are reverting to command-and-control habits. But today's landscape demands trust, ... More curiosity, and emotional maturity. getty
But control is an illusion. What today's landscape demands is leadership rooted in trust, curiosity, and emotional maturity. Leaders must see employees as full human beings, not just resources or competencies.
Building contextual competence—understanding the real-world context people are operating in—is now as critical as any technical skill. And it only happens through insatiable curiosity, active listening, and genuine relationship-building.
The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer underscores this urgency: globally, trust in business leaders has dropped to its lowest point in two decades, with fewer than 50% of employees expressing confidence in their leadership. The New Blueprint for Leadership
The future belongs to leaders who can suspend narrow self-interest and build thriving teams around trust, purpose, and wellbeing. True leadership is no longer about technical expertise alone; it's about cultivating the conditions where people can do their best work, together.
As Smith reflects, enlightened leadership isn't about sacrificing self-interest altogether. It's about expanding it—recognizing that our long-term success, satisfaction, and legacy are deeply tied to the wellbeing of others. That is the prescription of Leading in 3D.
Leaders who invest today in authentic trust, agency, wellbeing, and connection aren't just responding to a trend. They're building organizations capable of weathering uncertainty and doing work that matters.
Leadership isn't about controlling outcomes anymore. It's about creating the conditions where people, and businesses, can truly thrive.
Leadership isn't about controlling outcomes anymore. It's about creating the conditions where ... More people, and businesses, can truly thrive. getty