Why Leaders Need Someone Who Will Challenge Them

I didn't jump on the 2016 trend but it got me curious.

I scrolled through my photo gallery, reminded myself though I've aged through the years, how much I've grown. I also reminded me how much I miss my yellow lab 'Macy' who is no longer with us.

I then stumbled upon a picture I took, I'm guessing during my time as Global Digital Leader at GE (General Electric) probably at a planning session or a conference where I was speaking at.

My main message was this: "Every marketer needs to think and behave like a Behaviourist, a Technologist and a Business Owner" - Gerald Ang (2016)

These three pillars still stand today and perhaps even more so with AI and the way things are changing in organisations.

In the past, leadership success could be explained by expertise and experience. Today’s leaders operate in systems defined by speed, ambiguity, and constant reinvention.

In this environment, performance no longer depends on what leaders know, but on how well they understand human behaviour, technology, and economic reality working in one simultaneous cycle.

The Behaviourist

Leaders who think like behaviourists understand that incentives, norms, emotions, and identity drive outcomes more than plans. They understand people. Their strengths, the culture (“how we do things around here”), and individuals with their own aspirations and lives beyond work.

Culture is not values written on a wall or some 'corporate guidebook'. We’ve all seen leaders point to those values and still struggle to translate them into action.

Leaders who understand behaviour design environments where the right behaviours are clearly exemplified, consistently encouraged, and deliberately nurtured.

This is how culture translates into performance.

The Technologist

Leaders who think like technologists understand that technology is no longer a support function. It will eventually shape behaviour, how work gets done and how decisions are made.

Leaders don’t need to understand all the platforms and tools but what leaders need is the ability to understand the impact and provide solid judgment.

They understand how tools—especially AI—change speed, accountability, and decision quality. They are clear about what should be automated and where human thinking still matters. The leverage technology and redefine what the human tasks should look like.

Through technology, a savvy leader understands that higher value human tasks are what we should strive for as we 'out source' lower value human tasks which used to be done my humans are now done by machines.

Leaders need to remember that technology reshapes behaviour and power inside organisations.

The Business Owner

Leaders who think like business owners understand that headcount and resources are investments, not entitlements. In tighter environments, the real question is understanding “What can we deliver with what we already have?”

Entrepreneurs and business owners operate under constraint by default. They simplify problems, reuse capability creatively, and focus on outcomes rather than roles. Creating roles creates layers so this should critically assessed before it is even raised in the organisation. This forces clarity, sharper priorities, and faster decisions.

Leaders with this mindset stop treating headcount as the first solution.

They redesign work, question assumptions, and look for leverage before asking for more. This isn’t about doing more with less, it’s about doing the right work with discipline.

In the years ahead, leaders who can think like owners inside organisations will outperform those who simply ask for more resources.

With a business owner mindset, constraint becomes advantage.

Leadership isn't about having the biggest title or the corner office. It's about the daily actions your team notices and the trust you build over time. Great leaders leave clear signs that anyone can read, and these signs determine whether people want to follow them or just tolerate them.

1. True Leaders Serve First

Real leadership is about service. Your job as a leader is to support your team's success by providing clarity, coaching them through challenges, and helping solve problems. When you remove obstacles and share your experience, you're not just managing—you're serving.

2. Focus on People Before Tasks

Yes, projects need to get done. But your primary role as a leader is to grow people, not just check boxes on a to-do list. When you invest in developing your team members, you're building a stronger organisation for the long run. Tasks will always be there, but people need your attention to grow.

3. Hire Right Before You Train

Before spending thousands on training programmes, ask yourself: Did we hire someone who actually wants to lead? Do they have the emotional maturity to guide others? The best training in the world can't fix a poor hiring decision. Choose people with leadership potential from the start.

4. Care Like You Mean It

Your team knows when you're faking it. Genuine interest in their careers, goals, and even their lives outside work builds real trust. When people feel truly cared for, their confidence grows, their loyalty deepens, and their motivation soars.

5. Listen with Empathy

Don't just hear words but understand the context, feelings, and truth behind what your team is telling you. Empathetic listening creates psychological safety, which means people will share their real ideas, concerns, and creativity instead of just telling you what they think you want to hear.

6. Be Transparent (No Gatekeeping)

Share information openly with your team. Obviously, some things must stay confidential, but transparency about company direction, challenges, and decisions reduces stress and confusion. When people understand the bigger picture, they make better decisions and feel more connected to the mission.

7. Take the Blame, Share the Credit

When things go wrong, step up and own it completely. When things go right, shine the spotlight on your team. This isn't just good manners, it's smart leadership. People will walk through walls for leaders who protect them when times are tough and celebrate them when times are good.

8. Create Psychological Safety

Can your team speak the truth without fear? Can they ask hard questions? Can they disagree with you without worrying about consequences? When people feel safe, they innovate, take smart risks, and bring their full creativity to work. Fear kills innovation. Safety fuels it.

9. Use People's Strengths

Everyone on your team is good at something. Your job is to figure out what that is and give them opportunities to use those strengths. “Don't force a bird to swim and a fish to fly.” When people work in their zone of genius, everyone wins.

10. Spend Quality Time with Your Team

Leadership takes time, and there's no shortcut. Spend real, focused time learning what energises each person, what challenges they face, and what they value most. 

These 10 skills aren't theory

They're the practical, daily behaviours that separate good leaders from great ones. They're about mindset, strategy, and emotional intelligence combined.

The good news? These skills can be learned and developed with the right approach. Whether you're already in a leadership role or preparing for one, building these habits starts with understanding your natural strengths and how to leverage them effectively. When leaders work from their strengths rather than against them, development feels less like fixing weaknesses and more like unleashing potential to thrive in any situation.

Ready to lead with authenticity? The leaders your team actually wants to follow don't try to be someone they're not—they discover what makes them uniquely effective and build from there. Every leader has a different combination of natural talents. The key is knowing yours and using them intentionally.

Take our leadership quiz to discover your unique style: https://www.wildnwise.co/leadership-strengths-quiz 

As mentioned in the previous article, “What is Leadership Mindset? Can Good Leaders Really Be Made?”, a leadership mindset is a way of thinking that benefits both executives and people in the organisation. 

Here are the methods that can be used to build leadership skills & mindset within the team.

5 Ways to Enhance Team Leadership Skills

1. Build Self-leadership: Create opportunities for team members to evaluate themselves through workshops, activities, or questionnaires so that each person can learn and understand their own weaknesses and strengths better.
2. Build Trust through intelligent task delegation and challenging goal-setting: This stimulates the team to want to develop and work to their full potential. Give autonomy in work without micromanaging, but provide support when the team needs it. This method helps everyone on the team have ownership of their work and feel more comfortable working.
3. Create an open communication culture: Create opportunities for the team to talk, exchange ideas, and give feedback to each other, and actually use the feedback received to improve work processes or management.
4. Create Vision: Help the team see the big picture by setting clear goals and expectations, so they have a broader perspective and don't just focus solely on completing tasks.
5. Recognise Progress: This could be in the form of praise or small rewards so that team members know that the work they do is meaningful and contributes to moving the organisation forward.

4 Common Leadership Mind Traps

Being aware of these common "mind traps" is the first step to overcoming them.

1. "I'm not good enough." This trap prevents people from taking initiative, making decisions, and getting things done. It's paralysing because it puts you in a passive position, waiting for someone else to make the first move rather than stepping up for yourself.
2. "I'm not smart enough." One of the most prevalent traps among leaders today is the fear of looking stupid or being wrong. This leads to playing it safe, avoiding risks and keeping opinions to yourself. The result? Decisions based on what others think rather than on your own judgment and expertise.
3. "I'm not strong enough." Leaders who fall into this trap become afraid to challenge the status quo, anticipating pushback from others who are comfortable with how things have always been done. They worry they can't handle the emotional discomfort or fear of being labelled as "pushy" or "difficult."
4. "Failure makes me/us look bad." The fear of failure reflecting poorly on ourselves can prevent us from the uncomfortable but valuable task of understanding what went wrong and why. Rather than seeing failure as a learning opportunity, many people choose to move on quickly, missing the chance for growth.

Moving Forward

If your team feels stuck or if you're carrying too much on your shoulders, it's a sign that your leadership approach needs to evolve. The good news? You don't need a fancy title to start thinking like a senior leader. You just need to focus on cultivating your authentic strengths.

It's time to step up and lead like you, but better.

Ready to identify your leadership strengths and blind spots? Take our leadership quiz to discover your unique style: https://www.wildnwise.co/leadership-strengths-quiz