In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Ramesh Srinivasan, Dean of McKinsey's Bower Forum and co-author of "The Journey of Leadership". We talked about human-centric, purpose-driven leadership and the insights he’s gathered from over 600 CEOs who've participated in the Bower Forum.
Ramesh brings a unique perspective on what it takes to lead effectively in 2025 and beyond. His framework of "inside out leadership" challenges traditional command-and-control approaches in favor of authentic, vulnerable leadership that unleashes collective potential.
These 5 insights stood out most from our conversation:
- Balance Personal Purpose with Collaboration
- Lead with Vulnerability Strategically
- Promote Truth Telling
- Integrate Inside and Outside Perspectives
- Focus on Human Skills
1. Balance Personal Purpose with Collaboration
In Ramesh's Words: "I need to have a purpose, a vision, a sense of direction. I need to be able to provide that to the team or the institution I'm leading. So you cannot delegate that task, but yet I need to be humble enough. I need to be able to listen, and I need to be able to co-create solutions, experiments, test them out and then use the evidence, use the input from various people, customers, teams, et cetera, to then figure out how to solve these important and ever-changing problems."
Leadership today requires a clear personal foundation paired with collaborative execution. Leaders must own the vision while remaining humble enough to co-create solutions. This balance prevents leaders from being either directionless followers or disconnected dictators. No single person has all the answers, making this authentic approach essential for success.
2. Lead with Vulnerability Strategically
In Ramesh's Words: "As a leader, I cannot go out and say, 'Hey, I have no clue about what is happening,' and yet, I need to be able to go to my clients or partners or my own employees and be able to say, 'These are the questions where we don't have the answers. I don't have the answers, and let's actually construct these answers together.'"
Strategic vulnerability means admitting uncertainty about specific challenges while maintaining confidence in your ability to find solutions together. This isn't about appearing weak, but creating space for collective problem-solving. Leaders who master this build stronger teams because people feel valued for their contributions rather than compliance. It transforms organizations from top-down hierarchies into collaborative networks.
3. Promote Truth Telling
In Ramesh's Words: "One of the ideas we talk about in the book is this concept of truth telling. Where a media company CEO, he realized as he became CEO, that people stopped telling him the truth. So he did have a sense of purpose and a clear vision, but he also needed to understand how the customers were reacting to the product launches and how the frontline was truly feeling."
Organizations develop truth-telling problems as hierarchy increases. People become reluctant to share bad news or challenge authority, creating dangerous blind spots for leaders. Creating systems that encourage honest feedback is essential for good decisions. Leaders must actively work to counteract the tendency for people to tell them what they want to hear.
4. Integrate Inside and Outside Perspectives
In Ramesh's Words: "If a leader comes from within an institution and has spent a long period of time inside the institution, then they need to figure out a way of injecting some external thinking and figuring out a way by which you can shake up the system. And similarly, if you're a leader coming in from the outside... you do need to spend the time getting acceptance and understanding the culture."
Leaders face different challenges based on whether they're insiders or outsiders. Internal leaders must fight organizational inertia by bringing fresh perspectives, while external leaders must first earn acceptance before driving change. Both need to create enough discomfort to drive change without triggering defensive reactions. Understanding this dynamic helps leaders calibrate their approach for transformation.
5. Focus on Human Skills
In Ramesh's Words: "The importance of empathy, creativity, judgment, managing risk, ethics, all of these are gonna become super important in the future. And so the question for any organization or any individual is how do I embed technology, use technology to unleash my own purpose in the most productive way? And yet be clear on where is it that I am adding distinctive value that no piece of technology can do."
As AI handles more routine tasks, human capabilities like empathy, judgment, and ethics become more valuable. Leaders must focus on developing skills that complement rather than compete with technology. The goal isn't to resist AI but to use it as a tool while doubling down on uniquely human contributions. Organizations that get this balance right will have advantages in attracting and developing talent.
Until next time,
Vince
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