leadership styles

Last week, we visited friends whose daughter is absolutely enchanted by Pippi Langkous. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t be? She’s strong enough to lift a horse, cheeky enough to mock authority, and free enough to live by her own rules. But as I watched this little girl talk about Pippi adventures with sparkling eyes, it struck me: this pigtailed rebel might have more to say about courageous leadership than we give her credit for.

Pippi may be fictional, but her approach to the world embodies many of the traits today’s leaders need: boldness, empathy, boundary-setting, and the ability to disrupt what no longer serves. Here’s what leaders at any level can learn from her.

We often celebrate internal communication as the engine of change—but what if much of its power lies in the everyday? In this post, I explore why routine communication matters more than we think, and how it quietly builds trust, inclusion, and a sense of belonging across organisations, just like inclusive leadership.

I was born and raised a Catholic. Over the years, my relationship with the Church has evolved—shaped by life experience, critical thinking, and my own search for justice and belonging. And yet, some figures leave an imprint that transcends doctrine. Pope Francis was one of them. His leadership spoke not just to Catholics, but to anyone longing for a more compassionate and inclusive world. That’s why I felt compelled to write this. Not just as a tribute, but as a reflection on the kind of leadership the world needs more of.

In previous blog posts, we explored the definition of inclusive leadership and outlined the compelling business case for adopting this approach. In this post, we take the conversation a step further by comparing inclusive leadership with other popular leadership styles, such as transformational, servant, situational, transactional, and authoritative leadership.