We are in a Leadership Void. Here’s What We Need to Fill it.
TLDR: It’s you. And me. It’s each of us. Start somewhere.
Ok, now that we figured out what we need, let’s get to the long reading.
I’d love to see a study of how many times the word “unprecedented” has come up in published works since 2020. I wish the word were overused, yet every time it pops up, it is, in fact, in reference to something unprecedented. We are meeting this moment with a void of leadership mainly because we’ve mistaken “leadership” as someone with a loud voice, too much power, self-serving intentions, and a tepid understanding of what it means to be a true leader.
I’ve long talked about leadership voids in my work, bull-horning the observation that many leaders overlooked, and aspects of ourselves remain untapped, largely due to the mis-leadership we see pulling all attention, money, and power in their direction. For centuries, we’ve left untapped leadership– the insights, strategies, and expertise of any of us who have more to give yet are overlooked for a variety of factors, including identity, style, or any aspect that does not comfortably fit the traditional image of a leader (insert Google image result of man in suit here).
I’ve always argued that companies are losing out on untapped talent sitting in their org charts, leaving money, innovation, and sustainability on the table.
The urgent challenge now is that this avoidance of untapped leadership is leaving us with a leadership void filled with those who see power opportunities as a result. There’s the micro-level work that needs to happen within our organizations, and then there is the macro-level work that needs to happen in our society.
There are voids occurring across all levels.
Many of us are left throwing our hands up, thinking, “I don’t know what to do. Where do we even start?” whether it be in response to the political climate or in response to the professional climate in your day-to-day. TLDR: Start somewhere.
Before we get into what to do, let’s get very clear on the symptoms of a leadership void that we’re witnessing on a societal level and an organizational level.
Here are the 7 Symptoms of Our Leadership Void:
1. Discomfort with Complexity Leads to Oversimplification and Misdiagnosis
Societal Level: Leaders often default to simplistic narratives or binary thinking in the face of layered, interconnected challenges—from racial injustice to the climate crisis to economic inequality. Instead of engaging with the root causes, they offer one-size-fits-all solutions, assign blame, or ignore the issue altogether. This avoidance of complexity results in band-aid policies, reactive decisions, and a public that feels increasingly disillusioned and unheard.
Organizational Level: Rather than addressing equity or culture change as systemic and multidimensional issues, organizations reduce them to checkbox initiatives: one training, a single hire, or a diversity statement. By failing to engage with the nuance, they misdiagnose the problem—thinking it’s a “pipeline issue” instead of a power issue or treating symptoms instead of causes. This leads to false starts, performative change, and, ultimately, a loss of trust among employees.
2. Performative Leadership Over Purpose-Driven Leadership
Societal Level: Leaders are more concerned with optics—tweeting the right thing, making statements—rather than actually doing the hard work of systemic change. Performance is designed to protect reputation rather than initiate real transformation.
Organizational Level: Companies release (then unsurprisingly retract) DEI statements, set up “task forces,” or celebrate surface-level wins without real accountability or structural change, ultimately rolling back efforts when the stakes are high. The performance dilutes when external pressure fades, or internal discomfort rises, reinforcing the message that those efforts are conditional, not integral.
3. Disengagement and Disillusionment
Societal Level: Voter apathy, cynicism about institutions, and people tuning out of important issues because they don’t see real leadership driving change. The news cycles are overwhelming and uninspiring, leaving little room for hope for the future and personal agency to be able to get there.
Organizational Level: Employees disengage, quit quietly (or loudly), or stop bringing their best ideas because they don’t see leadership that listens or acts. Without leaders who listen, act, and inspire, disillusionment becomes the norm, and the organization loses both its people and its potential.
4. The Rise of Opportunistic Leadership
Societal Level: When strong, values-driven leaders are absent, the void gets filled by those who seek power for self-serving reasons. Think authoritarianism, grifters, or corporate greed running unchecked.
Organizational Level: In workplaces, this looks like toxic managers who thrive in unclear hierarchies, hoard information, or lead through fear and control instead of trust and empowerment. They may deliver short-term results, but long-term damage to culture, trust, and talent retention is inevitable.
5. Lack of Psychological Safety
Societal Level: Fear-based governance—through censorship, retaliation, or gaslighting—keeps communities from speaking out, asking questions, or advocating for what’s right. When people fear consequences for honest engagement, participation in public discourse erodes, and progress stalls.
Organizational Level: In cultures where candor is punished, or dissent is seen as disloyal, employees stay silent, play it safe, and withhold their full creativity. Without psychological safety, innovation is stifled, feedback loops are broken, and inclusion becomes an unfulfilled promise.
6. The Absence of Accountability
Societal Level: Corruption, scandals, and failures happen, but those in power rarely face real consequences. This normalization of unaccountable power corrodes public trust and signals that integrity is optional in leadership.
Organizational Level: When toxic behaviors go unchecked—or worse, are rewarded—employees lose faith in leadership’s commitment to fairness. The message is clear: values are negotiable as long as results are delivered. This creates a culture where harm is tolerated, and learning is replaced by fear.
7. The Erosion of Trust
Societal Level: Public trust in institutions is at a historic low, not due to cynicism alone but because people feel consistently unheard, unprotected, and unrepresented. This erosion threatens the very fabric of collective action and civic participation.
Organizational Level: When employees don’t trust leadership, they disengage emotionally and intellectually, even if they remain physically present. Without trust, collaboration declines, resistance to change grows, and leadership becomes less about influence and more about control.
I have to admit. Over the last few months, I have had plenty of moments where I can see the void—the abyss —and it feels abysmal. And my follow-up feeling is that I have no idea what to do.
But the thing with voids is that they are almost always filled. The question is, who is going to fill it? TLDR: It’s you. And me. Each of us. But I’ll get there in a second.
If you read my blog post on Leadership Loss, you’ll be familiar with the strategy of building a Theory of Leadership (think Theory of Change but for leadership).
We are missing a solid, inclusive, contextually aware, realistic, and future-focused theory of leadership right now. Without it, what fills the void are Great Man Theory actions (I talk a bit about Great Man Theory in my book).
What are we about?
What is the world we want to live in?
If we were to suspend current reality and spend time radically imagining, what would we see in the future?
If I were to radically imagine beyond the constraints of today, I would see:
Leaders at every level making bold, values-driven decisions rather than deferring to the status quo.
Organizations valuing and activating untapped leadership—those historically overlooked due to identity, style, or unconventional pathways.
A culture of contextual agility, where leaders embrace complexity, adapt, and take decisive action even in uncertainty.
Institutions designed for sustainability, inclusion, and long-term impact, not short-term power or monetary gains.
Leadership pipelines built on trust, accountability, and collective impact rather than individualistic ambition.
A Theory of Leadership to Fill the Void
To move from our current leadership void to this future, we need a fundamentally different leadership model that prioritizes adaptability, equity, and vision. Here’s the framework:
Inputs (What’s Needed to Build This Leadership Model)
Mindset Shift: Redefining leadership beyond hierarchy to focus on contextual agility, systems thinking, and shared power.
Access & Opportunity: Creating pathways for underrepresented leaders to step into influence.
Accountability Structures: Holding leaders responsible for impact, not just intention.
Activities (What Actions Will Move Us Forward)
Identifying & Developing Untapped Leadership: Investing in leadership development that diverges from traditional frameworks and centers our most marginalized insights as assets
Embedding Contextual Agility in Leadership Training: Teaching leaders how to navigate complexity, adapt, and lead decisively.
Building Inclusive Decision-Making Structures: Shifting from top-down authority to collaborative leadership.
Outputs (What Immediate Changes Should We See?)
More leaders stepping into power with equity, empathy, and strategy.
Organizations implementing concrete actions instead of performative gestures.
Greater employee engagement, trust, and innovation inside companies.
Outcomes (What Long-Term Impact Will This Have?)
A shift from power-hoarding leadership to collective, accountable leadership in society and business.
Systems that prioritize sustainability, equity, and long-term thinking over short-term power plays.
A world where leadership is no longer a void to be filled, but a force for transformation.
But you might be saying,
“Jenny, this all sounds really great on paper, love it. But it I’m still not sure what I can do in this moment. There are these big vision changes that need to happen, but what about my own individual vision? What can I even do in this moment?”
I get it. It’s all just so much. But the beauty of building a grand Theory of Leadership is that we can do the same for our own individual purposes and, as a result, have a guiding force, authentically inspired and purpose-aligned, to drive you through the chaos.
Let’s Meet Maya & Her Theory of Leadership
Let’s meet Maya, a mid-level manager in a tech company—talented, mission-driven, and one of the few women of color at her level. She’s constantly navigating unspoken expectations, witnessing missed opportunities, and feeling the tension between her values and the dominant leadership culture around her.
Every day, she sees it:
Brilliant colleagues from historically excluded backgrounds overlooked for leadership roles.
Meetings where the loudest voice wins, even when the idea lacks depth.
Leadership development programs that teach performance over purpose.
The Void is Real.
Maya feels it deeply: the frustration, the disillusionment, the desire to create change but not knowing where to begin.
Then she realizes that she doesn’t need to wait for permission to lead. What she needs is a framework—a guide to help her lead on purpose.
So, she builds her own: A Personal Theory of Leadership grounded in agency, equity, and contextual agility.
Inputs (What’s Needed to Build Maya’s Leadership Model)
Mindset Shift: Maya redefines leadership for herself—not as a title, but as a daily practice of courage, influence, and clarity. She sees complexity not as a threat, but as a place where her perspective brings value.
Access & Opportunity: She joins a leadership cohort that centers untapped leaders—getting tools, mentorship, and language to back her values with strategy.
Accountability Structures: Maya builds her own systems of accountability—through peer coaching and community spaces—so her leadership isn’t just about good intentions, but real impact.
Activities (What Actions Maya Takes to Move Forward)
Identifying & Developing Untapped Leadership: Maya mentors junior colleagues who remind her of herself early in her career—brilliant but underestimated. She advocates for their advancement, normalizing what inclusive sponsorship looks like.
Embedding Contextual Agility in Her Leadership: In leadership meetings, she brings the “why” and the “who” into every decision—naming who’s impacted, what equity requires, and how short-term moves impact long-term culture
Building Inclusive Decision-Making Structures: Maya shifts how her team makes decisions—implementing shared agendas, listening sessions, and rotating facilitation to ensure different voices shape direction.
Outputs (What Immediate Changes Maya Sees)
More people speak up in meetings, inspired by her modeling.
Her team reports higher trust, collaboration, and clarity.
Leaders across the company begin to cite her work as an example of “what good leadership looks like.”
She’s not louder than everyone else. She’s just more clear. And in a leadership void, clarity is power.
Outcomes (The Long-Term Impact of Maya’s Leadership)
Maya becomes a visible example that leadership can—and should—look different.
The company evolves. Leadership criteria shift. Development programs start investing in the kinds of leaders Maya represents.
And Maya? She’s no longer wondering whether she belongs. She knows she’s building something that outlasts her—a leadership legacy rooted in collective power, not individual performance.
What if Maya hadn’t created her Theory of Leadership?
Without a guiding vision, Maya might have continued to shrink herself to fit into old models—or burned out trying to challenge them without a strategy. Her brilliance, empathy, and insight would have remained untapped—not just a loss for her, but for her team, her company, and the future of leadership itself.
Maya’s story isn’t unique because she had all the answers—it’s powerful because she asked better questions: What kind of leader do I want to be? And what kind of world am I shaping through how I lead?
That’s the power of a Personal Theory of Leadership.
Not a map, but a compass.
Not a script, but a strategy.
Not perfection, but purposeful, consistent action.
Maya doesn’t need to become someone else to lead. She becomes more of herself—and that authenticity is the very thing that drives her influence.
Rather than losing personal agency amidst these stressful and fear-inducing conditions, Maya taps into her leadership in a clear-eyed, purposeful way. She fills the void in her micro-level way.
If we each get clear on our own Theories of Leadership, we start to crystallize that what we are experiencing is not what we want. When we’re clear about what we want, we start to make moves, big and small. And suddenly, the void gets filled by those who are most equipped to be the leaders needed—right here, right now.
Look, if we don’t fill the leadership void, status quo will keep status-quoing.
We’ll keep seeing the same patterns—leaders who hesitate in complexity, workplaces that stifle untapped talent, and a society where power continues to concentrate in the wrong hands.
And on a personal level? The longer you wait to define your own Theory of Leadership, the easier it is to stay stuck. You’ll keep feeling frustrated by the system, drained by inaction, and uncertain about your next move. Meanwhile, the space that could have been yours to lead gets filled by those who see power as a means of control rather than transformation.
But here’s the thing: Leadership isn’t waiting for permission. It’s waiting for you to step into it.
A void is nothing but an opportunity. Seize it and fill it.
Feeling the leadership void and not sure where to start?
You don’t have to figure it out alone. Let’s connect and explore how we can build your personal or organizational Theory of Leadership together.
