Modern leadership—responsibility over power
Why do some teams pull together and others don't?
It's not so unusual to see teams that work in very different psychological climates and achieve different results, despite sharing comparable resources, goals, and working conditions.
In his book "Leaders Eat Last," Simon Sinek outlines a simple yet ground-breaking idea: the quality of a team hinges on the sense of safety a leader can provide. The title echoes a U.S. Marine tradition in which leaders eat last. This is not military rhetoric, but a powerful message—leadership is not about taking first, but protecting first.
Leaders take responsibility for ensuring that employees can work, take risks, and give their best without feeling threatened.
The Circle of Safety—Creating a Collaborative Work Environment
Sinek describes this environment as the "Circle of Safety." It's a space where people feel protected from internal attacks, destructive judgments, and toxic competition. However, it's important to stress that the Circle of Safety doesn't weed out external challenges or pressures—the market stays competitive and goals are still demanding.
However, something crucial happens within this circle: people no longer have to waste their energy defending themselves against their colleagues or managers. Once the internal threat has disappeared, the team can finally channel their energy outwards in order to address market challenges and solve shared issues.
The Biology of Leadership: How Fear Hinders Innovation
There's a biological foundation behind all of this. When we feel threatened, our brain releases cortisol, the stress hormone that triggers the "fight-or-flight" response, inhibiting creative thinking and cooperation. By contrast, when we are in a safe environment, our body releases oxytocin and serotonin, which foster social bonding, trust, and problem-solving.
A leader who exercises power through fear or instability isn't just creating a negative environment; they are literally preventing their employees' brains from performing at their best. Therefore, psychological safety is not a "kind gift", but a biological need for performance.
Accountability and error management—shared responsibility
Another key point concerns collective responsibility. In a true circle of safety, success is never the result of a single individual, and failure is never placed on just one person. This doesn't imply a lack of accountability, but rather a sense of shared responsibility.
Leaders who adopt this approach don't look for the culprit, but for ways to improve the system. If employees know that mistakes will be analysed to help them grow rather than being used against them, they'll be more likely to report them promptly, allowing mistakes to be addressed before they turn into critical issues. This climate fosters a culture of trust that is built over time.
Corporate Values and Reality—Overcoming Toxic Leadership
Transversal competencies as a top priority
Setting everything else aside, according to the World Economic Forum in its update of "The Future of Jobs Report 2025", soft skills are an absolute priority for companies worldwide.
The study highlighted some particularly striking findings:
- 94% of companies consider soft skills to be more important than technical skills. What a discovery!
- The most sought-after skills are: critical thinking, creativity, empathetic leadership, and change management. Easier said than done!
- Soft skills are strategic for tackling the evolution and dominance of new technologies. An undeniable truth.
- Interpersonal communication, the ability to build effective relationships, and problem-solving are almost mandatory skills. They always have been!
Sinek is very clear about an uncomfortable truth: many organisations talk about values, but reward opposite behaviours. They talk about collaboration, yet encourage internal competition; they talk about well-being, yet tolerate toxic leadership.
In these contexts, the circle of safety is nothing more than a pretty image for corporate brochures. The consequences are predictable and devastating: disengagement, cynicism, high turnover rate, and quiet quitting. Leadership is not a matter of hierarchy, but a choice and a responsibility renewed day by day.
the daily choice of team leaders
Every day, people in leadership roles decide whether to protect or leave their employees vulnerable, whether to listen or ignore them, whether to build trust or stoke fear. Over time, these decisions make the difference between a team that simply survives and one that truly excels. Being a leader means, above all, having the courage to be the last to take a seat at the table, making sure that everyone else has been served and protected first.
REFERENCES
SD Worx, HR Trends 2026
Deloitte, Global Human Capital Trends 2026
Gartner, Top HR Trends 2026
World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025
Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2025