Welcome back to this week’s edition of IMPACTFUL Teamwork. I’m excited to have you here again, and I hope you’ve been enjoying the recent episodes and the amazing guests we’ve had on the podcast. Today, it’s just me, and I want to dive into a concept that’s really resonated with me lately, as it perfectly captures the challenges I see in leadership today.
At Business HorsePower, we are passionate about transforming leadership and business practices. We believe the traditional leadership models—especially those based on command-and-control hierarchies—simply aren’t fit for purpose in today’s rapidly changing world. It’s time to embrace a new approach to leadership, one that’s inspired by nature and designed for a world of constant change.
Recently, I came across a concept that perfectly explains many of the leadership challenges businesses face: Zombie Leadership. I absolutely love this term because it vividly describes a type of leadership that seems alive but is actually stuck in outdated, ineffective practices.
In this blog, I’ll unpack the concept of Zombie Leadership, discuss its impact on businesses, and offer insights into how we can shift to more effective leadership practices that are better suited for the modern business landscape.
What is Zombie Leadership?
Zombie Leadership describes leadership that’s disconnected from the needs of modern teams and organisations. It’s when businesses continue investing in leadership development without addressing the fundamental flaws in their leadership models. On the surface, everything seems polished, but when you look closer, the foundation is weak and crumbling.
At Business HorsePower, I see this happening time and time again. Organisations pour money into leadership training, yet they often fail to see the results they expect. Leaders might be trained, but the underlying principles guiding their leadership approach don’t change. As a result, they continue operating in an ineffective, outdated way.
The Crumbling Foundation
I recently came across an analogy from my friend Jude Germain, which perfectly illustrates Zombie Leadership. She compares it to inheriting a grand historic mansion. From the outside, it looks impressive. But once you step inside, you notice the walls are cracked, the floors creak, and the foundation is crumbling. No matter how many renovations you make, you can’t fix a weak foundation.
This analogy perfectly mirrors what we see in leadership today. Many organisations are trying to build their businesses on leadership models that were designed for the industrial era. These models focus on command and control, which worked in the past but no longer meet the demands of today’s dynamic business world.
Zombie leadership continues because it benefits those in power. It doesn’t survive because it works; it survives because it maintains old power structures and supports the outdated “leadership industrial complex.”
The 8 Axioms of Zombie Leadership
Research by Haslam, Arif, and Abo in 2024 identified eight key axioms that define Zombie Leadership. These axioms are deeply ingrained in many businesses and, unfortunately, continue to hinder progress. Let’s take a closer look at these axioms and reflect on how they might show up in your organisation.
1. Leadership is All About the Leaders
Zombie Leadership often places leadership solely in the hands of those at the top. It defines leadership as a top-down, hierarchical process. But the reality is that leadership is about influence, not position. Effective leaders engage with their teams and understand their needs, rather than relying on their formal authority.
Action Point: Challenge the traditional top-down model. Encourage leadership at all levels of your organisation.
2. Great Leaders Have Specific Qualities
Many organisations believe that great leaders must possess certain qualities—such as intelligence, charisma, or vision. However, the most important factor is whether the team perceives these qualities. A leader may have exceptional skills, but if the team doesn’t recognise those qualities, the leadership is ineffective.
Action Point: Focus on building trust and rapport with your team. Leadership is about being relatable and understanding their perspectives.
3. Great Leaders Do Specific Things
Zombie Leadership suggests that effective leaders exhibit particular behaviours, such as fairness or initiating change. In reality, great leadership requires flexibility. The best leaders adapt their approach to the unique needs of their team and the challenges they face.
Action Point: Develop your emotional intelligence. Learn how to adjust your leadership style based on the team’s needs and circumstances.
4. You Know a Great Leader When You See One
Many organisations believe that great leaders are immediately recognisable. While it’s true that some leaders stand out, this belief overlooks the potential of others who may lead quietly and effectively in the background.
Action Point: Rethink what makes a great leader. Look for leadership qualities within your team and empower them to step up.
5. All Leadership is the Same
Zombie Leadership assumes that leadership is one-size-fits-all. However, leadership varies depending on the individual, the team, and the situation. What works in one context may not work in another, and the key to effective leadership is adaptation.
Action Point: Embrace the uniqueness of each leadership scenario. Cultivate leadership that adapts to the circumstances.
6. Leadership is a Special Skill for Special People
In the past, many viewed leadership as an elite skill reserved for a select few. Today, we know that leadership is a skill that anyone can develop with the right guidance and environment. Leadership isn’t about being “special”; it’s about being effective.
Action Point: Encourage leadership development across your organisation. Everyone can learn to be a leader with the right support.
7. Leadership is Always Good for Everyone
Zombie Leadership assumes that leadership is always beneficial for everyone. However, bad leadership can create inequality and division. Leadership should promote inclusivity, equality, and diversity.
Action Point: Ensure your leadership practices foster equality and inclusivity. Be mindful of the impact leadership has on your team and culture.
8. People Can’t Cope Without Leaders
Zombie Leadership promotes the idea that people cannot thrive without a leader. However, many teams today are self-managing and thriving without a designated leader. In some cases, leaders can even hinder progress.
Action Point: Foster a culture of self-management and autonomy. Encourage teams to lead themselves and collaborate effectively.
Moving Beyond Zombie Leadership
Zombie Leadership is pervasive because it’s deeply ingrained in many businesses. It feels comfortable and familiar, but it no longer serves the needs of modern teams and organisations. To overcome this, we need to embrace leadership that’s adaptive, inclusive, and capable of driving meaningful change.
I believe we need leaders who are willing to challenge the status quo and foster innovation. These leaders—whom I call trailblazing leaders—are the ones who can break free from the constraints of Zombie Leadership and create new, more effective ways of leading.
At Business Horsepower, we advocate for a leadership model based on agility, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. This model draws inspiration from nature, where every member of the team has the opportunity to lead in their own unique way.
Final Thoughts
Zombie Leadership has given me much to reflect on, and I encourage you to think about these eight axioms. Where are they showing up in your organisation? What can you do to reinvent leadership and create a more dynamic, effective leadership culture?
If you’d like to discuss how you can evolve your leadership approach, I’d love to hear from you. Together, we can build a leadership framework that fosters innovation, agility, and growth.
Thank you for reading, and I hope this exploration of Zombie Leadership has offered some fresh perspective. Let’s create the future of leadership—one step at a time.
If you’re ready to rethink your approach to leadership, get in touch today.
Show Notes:
Here are the highlights from this episode:
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.