What’s getting in the way of leadership being shared more widely in your organisation?
In a world where complexity is growing and leadership cannot rest on the shoulders of the few, building shared capacity is essential. Scaling leadership enables organisations to be more adaptive, inclusive and resilient, inviting everyone to play a meaningful role in shaping the future and enabling transformation.
In this blog series Scaling Leadership – From the Few to the Many, we explore how leadership can be cultivated across all roles and levels by embedding it in how people think, act and work together. From the mindsets we nurture to the structures we design, we look at what enables leadership to live in our conversations, decisions and everyday habits, so it becomes a shared responsibility we build and sustain together.
Scaling Leadership Starts with You
The Personal Work Behind Systemic Impact
If we want leadership to show up everywhere, we can begin by becoming its most aligned example. Not perfect or heroic, but present, intentional and willing to examine how our inner world shapes the outer one.
You can't scale what you haven't embodied
Don’t Clone, Resonate
When we try to scale leadership by replicating ourselves, we risk narrowing what’s possible. True scale comes from cultivating shared principles while giving others the freedom to lead in ways that are more natural and authentic to them.
To bring this to life, offer clarity on intent and share the ‘why’ behind the work. Then, notice what becomes possible when others are free to shape the ‘how’ in ways that reflect their strengths.
Take a moment to consider:
- What assumptions do I hold about what ‘good leadership’ looks like?
- How might my preferences be shaping (or limiting) how others step into leadership?
- Where am I making space for difference, and where might I be unintentionally narrowing it?
Inner Work is Outer Leverage
How we relate to leadership, whether we’re aware of it or not, is often shaped by the narratives we carry. Beliefs around control, competence, trust, or failure can quietly influence who we empower, how much space we create, and what we feel able to let go of.
When we turn inward and explore these patterns with curiosity and compassion, we begin to lead from awareness rather than assumption. And in doing so, we make it easier for others to grow — because we’re no longer unconsciously holding onto beliefs or behaviours that no longer serve.
Pay attention:
- Before stepping in — is your support expanding your people leadership, or protecting your comfort?
- Look for opportunities where a question might offer more than an answer.
- Observe your response to mistakes — does it invite learning or reinforce caution?
- Notice the stories you tell yourself about others’ readiness — are they true or just familiar?
Model the Shift You Want to See
When we lead with openness by naming what we don’t know, listening with curiosity, and inviting others in, we activate the conditions for leadership to emerge elsewhere. Often, the shift is subtle — someone steps up, a new idea surfaces, or a quieter voice is heard.
People tend to take their cues from what we model as leaders more than what we ask. Which means the most powerful way to grow leadership is to embody the qualities we hope to see in others.
You Might Want To Try:
- Sharing a challenge and ask, “How would you approach this?”
- Asking someone else to lead the next meeting or discussion.
- Sharing a recent learning or misstep to model openness.
- Inviting someone quieter into the conversation.
Leadership Starts With You — And Doesn’t End There
Scaling leadership begins with presence and the willingness to look inward; to question long-held assumptions, soften control, and trust that others can lead in ways that may look different, yet still align deeply.
This work often touches identity. If we are seen (and see ourselves) as the one ‘who leads’, letting go of control can feel like losing a part of who we are. But it’s not about doing less, rather it's about leading differently.
Scaling leadership invites us to grow beyond familiar roles and become more conscious of how we lead and how we make space for others to do the same. That shift may feel unfamiliar, but it’s where real scale begins.
Final Reflection: What shifts in you and your leadership could open the way for leadership in others?
Join us next week as we explore Scaling Leadership by Making Space, sharing what it takes to invite, support and empower others to lead.
Photos by Ronit Shaked and Huynh Tan Hau on Unsplash
