“Unleading”: The New Blueprint for Human-Centered Leadership
In a world where volatility is the norm and complexity is constant, traditional leadership is showing its limits. The days of top-down direction, ego-driven control, and managing through fear are fading. What’s rising in its place is a model built not on authority, but on authenticity. Not on titles, but on trust.
Céline Schillinger’s bold work, “Dare to Unlead,” provides a compelling roadmap for this shift. She challenges us to rethink leadership as something less about “leading others” and more about “making space for others to lead.” It’s an idea rooted in participation, co-creation, and shared purpose.
And she’s not alone. Across industries and disciplines, leadership thinkers are converging on this idea of “unleading”—a decentralization of power, a redesign of trust, and a renewed focus on human systems. Let’s unpack this shift by examining supporting insights from Noel Tichy, Sébastien Page, and David Maister—and a real-world case study that proves it works.
1. The Leadership Engine: Everyone Can Lead
In The Leadership Engine, Noel Tichy argues that the best organizations don’t rely on a few charismatic leaders—they build systems where everyone is taught to lead. He introduces the idea of a Teachable Point of View—a framework for leaders to articulate and pass on their core values, strategy, and knowledge.
Rather than hoarding power, great leaders create other leaders. They actively coach, mentor, and distribute decision-making across their teams. This aligns perfectly with Schillinger’s concept of “unleading,” which emphasizes flattening hierarchies and empowering individuals at every level.
Actionable Takeaway:
Start teaching leadership at every level. Build internal mentorship, invest in leadership training, and make sharing knowledge a core cultural value—not just a process.
2. The PERMA Model: Psychological Foundations of Real Leadership
Sébastien Page, in “The Psychology of Leadership,” offers another layer: the internal psychological conditions that enable great leadership. Using the PERMA model—Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—Page shows how leadership rooted in well-being is more sustainable and effective than one driven by competition and stress.
His advice? Stop chasing success for its own sake. Instead, focus on creating environments where people find meaning, experience flow, and develop resilience.
This directly complements Schillinger’s vision of unleading: creating cultures of trust, not control—of purpose, not performance pressure.
Actionable Takeaway:
Evaluate your workplace using the PERMA model. Is your team engaged? Are relationships strong? Does the work feel meaningful? If not, leadership isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about listening better.
3. True Professionalism: Leadership Through Values
David Maister’s “True Professionalism” hits on the moral core of unleading. He distinguishes “Dynamos”—those who act with passion, integrity, and continuous learning—from “Cruisers,” who do just enough to get by.
His message: leadership is not about position; it's about character. Professionals lead when they take responsibility for their growth, their impact, and their client outcomes. Like Schillinger, Maister advocates for a model built on purpose, autonomy, and self-leadership.
Actionable Takeaway:
Empower your team to act like Dynamos. Encourage ownership, support self-directed learning, and reward values-based decisions over politics or short-term gains.
Case Study: Microsoft’s Cultural Renaissance Under Satya Nadella
When Satya Nadella took the reins of Microsoft in 2014, the company was stagnating. Its internal culture had become rigid, competitive, and fear-driven—a classic top-down model where silos thrived, and innovation stalled.
Nadella didn’t simply reorganize teams or chase new products. He led a deep cultural transformation—from know-it-alls to learn-it-alls—grounded in empathy, trust, and growth mindset.
He encouraged leaders to listen more, model vulnerability, and embrace failure as part of the learning journey. This wasn’t about abdicating leadership—it was about decentralizing it. Microsoft went from turf wars to teamwork, from command to curiosity.
Key initiatives like inclusive hiring, open-source collaboration, and employee-led innovation networks began to flourish. Nadella didn't direct every move—he invited leadership from within.
Results?
A market cap that grew from ~$300B in 2014 to over $2.5T in less than a decade
A cultural transformation ranked among the most admired in business
Resurgence in product relevance and team morale
This is “unleading” in action—and it worked because it treated leadership not as a title, but as a shared responsibility.
Why This Matters Now
If Microsoft—one of the most complex tech giants in the world—can rewire its culture through trust, shared purpose, and distributed leadership, any organization can begin this journey.
Unleading doesn’t mean stepping away from vision or discipline. It means stepping away from ego, silos, and fear. It’s the shift from leading people to creating the conditions where people lead themselves.
What You Can Do Today
“Unleading” doesn’t mean being passive or avoiding responsibility. It means:
Leading with intentional humility
Listening more than directing
Creating systems where leadership is shared, not centralized
If you’re in a position of influence, ask yourself:
Where can I let go of control to let others grow?
How do I measure success—by status or by team vitality?
What systems am I building: ones that extract effort, or ones that nurture energy?
Leadership is no longer about being the hero at the front. It’s about being the architect of conditions where everyone can thrive.