Thinkers Thursday: ""Why Effective Leaders Get Branded as Problems"" - Harvard Business Review Article

Hey Leaders,

One of the most thought-provoking articles I've read recently from Harvard Business Review challenges a common leadership assumption.

When a high-performing leader creates friction, organizations often assume the leader is the problem. But what if that friction is actually exposing problems within the organization?

In Why Effective Leaders Get Branded as Problems, leadership coach Luis Velasquez explains that organizations often misdiagnose leadership challenges by focusing only on a leader's behavior while overlooking the environment surrounding them. Sometimes what appears to be a leadership weakness is actually an outdated culture, conflicting expectations, or a system that resists change.

The article highlights four possible sources of leadership friction:

✅ A true skill gap that needs development.

✅ An outdated reputation that no longer reflects the leader's current performance.

✅ A leadership strength that has become overused in a new role or situation.

✅ Organizational systems or culture that are creating resistance—not the leader.

As leaders, one of our greatest responsibilities is to diagnose before we prescribe.

Before asking, "How do we fix this leader?" we should first ask:

Are we evaluating current performance or past perceptions?
Are we treating symptoms instead of root causes?
Could our organizational culture be contributing to the very problem we're trying to solve?

The best leaders don't rush to judgment—they seek understanding.

Leadership Reflection:

Think about someone on your team who seems to create "friction." Could they actually be highlighting an opportunity for your organization to grow?

Read the full Harvard Business Review article: "Why Effective Leaders Get Branded as Problems" By Luis Velasquez.

At Axis Leadership, we believe that great leadership isn't just about developing better leaders—it's about building better organizations.

Better People. Better World.

– Dr. Joe

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Thinkers Thursday: ""Why Effective Leaders Get Branded as Problems"" - Harvard Business Review Article

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