In an era of misinformation, complexity and rapid change, creating environments in which people can flourish amid uncertainty has never been more crucial. Traditional power-over models (fear-based, dominant and control oriented) are not fit for healthy human interaction or for the regenerative future our organisations and planet require. The alternative is a courageous shift to power-with: leadership that provides a secure base from which people can care, dare and share, releasing productive energy for sustainable high performance.
Yet many executives report they live inside a widening gap between what they feel and what the work they do demands. Naming and working with that cognitive dissonance is the first act of integrity.
People aspire to lead and live in ways that are truly FIT for Purpose; fit for people, performance and planet. F.I.T. becomes a practical compass: Flow in how we manage our state through our breath and body, Intent grounded in our awareness and agency, Trust in how we connect and give meaning.
Power-over leadership operates through control, coercion and hierarchy. It may generate short-term efficiency, but it suppresses innovation, creativity and collaboration, drains curiosity, and breeds disengagement and burnout. Too often, under pressure, we respond by tightening mandates when what is needed is relational repair. When fear runs the room, adaptability collapses just when volatility demands it.
Power-with is rooted in self-awareness, trust and shared purpose. Secure-base leaders invest in developing themselves and others, demonstrate empathy and self-awareness, and invite people to take responsibility and try new ideas. In such climates people feel safe to stretch, collaborate and co-create; innovation, curiosity and playfulness follow, and collective intelligence becomes a competitive advantage.
The language of business is primarily war and mechanistic metaphors that reinforce power-over habits; instead, living-system language invites stewardship, reciprocity and regeneration. Choosing words that signal care, connection and shared growth helps align human ambition with planetary wellbeing and keeps progress life-affirming rather than extractive.
At LEAD26 Professor Goldsworthy will share emerging research in collaboration with the 100Facets.ai platform exploring the interplay of Flow, Intent and Trust (FIT) and assessing where Flow is blocked, Intent is diffused or Trust is thin. Integrated with an AI Coach, the
FIT for Purpose platform helps leaders to continuously develop their inner landscapes to better meet and cope with outer demands.
The invitation is clear: to shift from dominance to co-creation, from extraction to regeneration, from certainty myths to courageous inquiry; above all, from power-over to power-with. Our future depends on the choice we make and remake in every meeting, metric and metaphor. Do we have the courage to lead differently, to be truly FIT for Purpose, and to co-create a sustainable, thriving future for livingkind?
