Leadership Paradox

A blog by Ali Lalieu

July 2026

A paradox is when two things that appear to be in conflict are both true and necessary.

The world of leadership in 2026 is increasingly defined by Paradox, and mature leadership is increasingly skilling up to be able to remain in the paradox long enough for deeper wisdom to emerge.

Staying intellectually and emotionally flexible, which is a vulnerable experience for many. Sitting alongside the risk, uncertainty and emotional exposure, grappling with the BOTHNESS inherent in paradox.

Brené Brown and Susan David speak to this concept of BOTHNESS, where the best leaders are thinking both/and, and not either/or.

Where transformational leaders resist the urge to choose one side of a tension, and rather ask “How can both be true?” and “What else is possible here?.

And from that perspective, recognising that the path forward is unlikely to be one they’ve walked before.

Paradox demands pioneer thinking!

In my recent coaching experience, three paradoxes are emerging:

#1: “Move Faster – Be more Human”
As the external world says, “Move faster. Do more. Push harder. Make time where no time exists”, what humans actually need is “More grounding. More clarity. More emotional awareness & emotional agility. More intentional connection”.

The Leadership ask:

• Name and normalise difficulty early and honestly

• Make genuine efforts to reconnect people to meaningful work and agency.

• You need to attend to both.

• Naming only will create stagnation. Optimism only will spark cynicism. Paying attention to both will create steadiness and strong ground.

#2: “Provide Clarity – While Living with Deep Uncertainty”
Leaders across sectors are navigating wildly different operating realities, with different needs as they try to metabolize the disruption ripping through their teams.

People don’t like not knowing, so what can a leader do when they too are often metaphorically flying the plane while building it!

The Leadership ask:

• Lead visibly ~ role model the courageous behaviours you want to see in others

• Keep your talk “real and honest”: simple, clear, compelling and reliable communication. Ignite connection, never deception.

#3: “Drive Performance – While People Feel Exhausted” 
We’re now leaning into accepting that pace and pressure are not going away, so finding a way to renew our energy has become non- negotiable. 

Which makes ‘Deliberate Recovery’ now an essential leadership skill.

Learning ways to complete the stress cycle for ourselves and our teams, through movement, creativity or embodied release.

Numbing does not complete the stress cycle.

The Leadership ask:

• Bring Deliberate Recovery practices to your team (mini-trampoline or table tennis in the office; walking meetings; creative offsites, time in nature, a visiting yoga instructor)

• Be aware of the language you’re using around your own overwhelm or stress, as your language shapes the team atmosphere. Perhaps think of using the words “I’m feeling whelmed” rather than “I’m feeling overwhelmed”!

Cheers Ali x