Eight Signs It's Time for a Leadership Change

I was once invited to meet with an established, well-known company that wanted to form a partnership with my firm. Its top leadership attended. They claimed to have done their due diligence. Within minutes, it was clear they were more interested in taking our ideas than building anything together.

The meeting organizer's body language said it all. He was embarrassed by his own senior leaders. Desperation, disorganization and hidden agendas filled the room. It was a shame to watch a respected brand represented so poorly, and it raised an obvious question: was this company at risk of losing its market position?

The Success Factors Have Changed

Many leaders today don't belong in leadership roles anymore. That's not because they lack experience. It's because the requirements have changed.

Leadership is no longer just about charts, graphs and numbers. It demands broad observation: seeing patterns across the business, its people, its customers and the market at once. Mature leaders have a sixth sense for what's going on around them. They anticipate crisis and manage change before circumstances force their hand. They're entrepreneurial with their time and resources, they treat customers, employees and partners like family and they lead to leave a legacy.

Being great at one job doesn't automatically make someone a great leader. The people in that meeting were talented salespeople trying to be leaders. Instead of judging leadership candidates by their resumes, evaluate their capacity for survival, renewal and reinvention.

That's one reason I often say great leaders think like immigrants. They know what it means to start over, adapt and build from scratch. It's no coincidence that nearly half of 2025's Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, according to the American Immigration Council.

Eight Warning Signs

1. Style and approach are outdated. When a leader stops learning, teams stop responding. People no longer feel inspired, because the leader is running on autopilot. Leaders can't wait for their organizations to develop them. The effective ones invest in themselves.

2. Entitlement. When leaders act as if they're owed something, it's a sign of insecurity. In my meeting, a senior executive asked us to send an email explaining why they should consider a partnership, even though they had requested the meeting. That told me he was protecting himself, not serving his company.

3. Disrespect. Rudeness is a sign of weakness, usually from someone trying to feel more important. Some leaders still believe position gives them permission to treat people any way they want. Respect and class, regardless of circumstances, are what create executive presence.

4. Selfishness. When a leader cares more about themselves than the company, no one wins. One executive in that meeting demanded our intellectual property without a nondisclosure agreement and said plainly that he wanted to see how it could make his company money. Ask people about their intentions up front. If they aren't interested in true collaboration, the relationship is going nowhere.

5. Disorganization. Ask a leader about their goals. If they fumble the answer, they're unprepared. Effective leaders never enter a meeting or a relationship without clarity of thought and purpose.

6. Desperation. Leaders become desperate when the market is passing them by. It shows up as sweeping generalizations, inappropriate requests and a constant need for attention. The louder they get, the more desperate they usually are.

7. Indecision. Leaders are paid to make decisions. Indecision signals a loss of self-trust and an unwillingness to own risk. Employees find it deeply frustrating, and respect erodes quickly. When risk becomes an enemy instead of a friend, it may be time to reconsider the role.

8. A lack of strategic focus. Distracted leaders see through a blurry lens. They can't connect dots or identify the most promising opportunities and talent. They get caught up in politics and noise, and they only see what's directly in front of them.

Look in the Mirror First

Use these eight signs to evaluate the leaders in your organization, and to evaluate yourself. Do any of them sound familiar? At what level of effectiveness is your leadership team really operating?

We've moved from a knowledge economy to a wisdom economy. It's no longer about what you know, but what you do with it. AI now puts more knowledge at everyone's fingertips than any leader could hold. What remains scarce is judgment, integrity and the ability to bring the right people and resources together.

The greatest leaders don't have all the answers. They know how to assemble the people who can find them.

Don't Wait Too Long

The company I met with took its historical success for granted. Unless it changes its leadership and reinvents itself quickly, it will lose the market share and momentum it worked so hard to build.

People and organizations deserve the best leadership. When it no longer works, it's everyone's responsibility to change it. Leaders see what others don't, do what others won't and keep pushing when prudence says quit. When they stop, it's time for someone who won't.

Want to explore these ideas further? Learn more about my work on leadership, identity and conviction at www.theglennllopis.com.