7 B-School Leadership Essentials for 2025
New and Not-So-New Additions
November 20, 2025
The Moment We’re In
A few years ago, I saw a CEO—a sharp leader with a top-tier MBA—stand before his company to announce a major restructuring. He used all the right words: “optimization,” “right-sizing,” “synergy.” His delivery was flawless. Confident. Decisive. Clear.
Wait, did he say “synergy?”
Within six months, his top performers had updated their LinkedIn profiles. They all started taking calls from recruiters. The trust he’d spent years building evaporated in weeks. What happened? There’s a lot to unpack.
That is a story that is more common these days. The foundational traits learned—vision, communication, integrity, and decisiveness—are still necessary. They help you secure a spot in the arena. However, the leaders who are thriving in this fast-paced, AI-driven world aren’t just 'managing” change. They’re leading it and creating alignment around the “Why.”
I’ve noticed a pattern.
The key is to ask great questions early on before actually “doing” anything other than considering and dreaming.
What’s that “motivating” phrase? It’s something like “to get the promotion, you have to earn that promotion. And the best way? Work in the role. Starting now.”
The same applies here: the movers act as if they’re already on the board, there to serve, and genuinely serving. They’re the ones who offer help before being asked for it. They recognize what’s happening because they are highly aware, tapping into extra stores of EQ as the differentiated, while everyone else seems distracted by some “official” story.
Most leaders are confident. They’ve read THE books. They’re on the conference circuit. They know what “good leadership” looks like. However, the gap lies between following the standard, safe playbook and truly understanding the moment, discerning what it requires, and deliberately choosing the perfect approach to make this moment exceptional.
The CEO I mentioned? He wasn’t wrong about the restructure. He was wrong about thinking the restructuring itself was the solution. The reason for the restructure was everything. Treat the disease, not just the symptoms, right?
What’s Different Now
Leaders with momentum in 2025 operate with a different set of priorities. They realize the priorities they relied on to reach this point most likely won't effectively carry them forward. They stick to the fundamentals, of course. But they understand they need to keep building on and around those fundamentals. And they don’t require everyone to RTO.
You’re always searching for what really makes a difference. This seven-week series reveals it. Let’s proceed to decode it.
Curious? It starts shortly.
Ken Persel
CEO | Executive AI Recruiting & Career Strategy Consultant | Executive Search | Fractional Hiring | Hidden Job Search Market Coach | AWS
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