Why leadership today is about influence and connection rather than hierarchy

In this episode of Unleash Your Impact, Unlock Others, Dave and Rich explore what it really means to lead beyond the organisational chart. Together, they challenge traditional notions of hierarchy and shareholder-driven thinking, arguing that true leadership today means viewing your organisation as an ecosystem, one where influence, humility, and collaboration extend across a wide constellation of stakeholders.

They discuss the growing movement towards stakeholder capitalism, the mindset shift from “inside-out” to “outside-in,” and how leaders can navigate this complexity through a focus on empathy, connection, and a systems-thinking approach. They discuss powerful tools like stakeholder mapping, an engaging, creative, practical tool that combines left and right brain thinking to visualise and calibrate relationships and assess the influence you need to have to create great outcomes. They introduce the principle of reciprocity as key to stakeholder focused leadership which helps leaders at all levels build trust and foster collaboration.

Whether you lead a small team or an entire organisation, this episode will help you think differently about the responsible use of power, adopting a service-orientated mentality, and how to create positive impact for the many rather than the few in an interconnected world.

Key Talking Points

• The evolution from shareholder to stakeholder-focused leadership
• Why hierarchy limits influence, and how to lead through connection instead
• The mindset shift from “I’m at the centre” to “I’m part of an ecosystem”
• Balancing healthy power: directing others vs. empowering others
• The role of humility, empathy, and collaboration in stakeholder relationships
• How to map your stakeholder landscape visually (not in a spreadsheet!)
• The principle of reciprocity, understanding what others need from you
• Using empathy and curiosity to rebuild spiky relationships
• Why leadership isn’t about who reports to you, it’s about who you impact positively