A new idea about leadership
The world is changing faster than the models of leadership built to navigate it. UN.LEAD is an initiative exploring what leadership must become — and what we may need to leave behind — to build a more human, trusted and sustainable future.
Different perspectives. A shared question.
Two journeys. One question: what should leadership become next?
The world has changed.
Has leadership?
Artificial intelligence is changing how decisions are made. New generations are redefining their relationship with institutions and authority. Organisations are becoming more distributed. Expectations around transparency, purpose and accountability are rising.
And yet much of leadership still operates through models built around hierarchy, control and concentrated authority.
What if the leadership model itself needs to evolve?
Then
Next
What does it mean to un.lead?
To UN.LEAD is to rethink leadership as something that is distributed rather than concentrated.
It means creating environments where people understand the truth, have the freedom to act, and take responsibility for the consequences.
People deserve the information and context required to understand decisions.
People closest to a challenge should have the agency to act.
Greater freedom must come with greater responsibility.
More people. Bigger possibilities.
Transparency + Autonomy + Accountability = Trust
A more
human future
is possible.
By sharing leadership more widely, we can build organisations and societies that are more intelligent, resilient and trusted — and create a future with more opportunity for everyone.
Our belief
Democratising leadership does not weaken leadership. Done well, it can make organisations and societies more intelligent, resilient and trusted — and create a future with more opportunity for everyone.
Stronger leaders. Fairer futures.
How UN.LEAD began
Different journeys. A shared question.
UN.LEAD began with conversations between Suyash Bhatt and Naresh Harwani about a contradiction they were both observing.
Technology was making knowledge more accessible, people were more informed, connected and independent, and organisations were asking for greater ownership. Yet leadership itself often remained centralised — designed around command and control.
What happens when a generation raised with access, choice and voice enters institutions still designed around hierarchy?
UN.LEAD grew from that question.
Entrepreneur and educator working at the intersection of universities, business, entrepreneurship and executive learning.
Suyash's work brings him into rooms with senior leaders, academics, entrepreneurs and young people — giving him a unique perspective on how differently generations think about authority, ambition and leadership.
Business leader with deep experience across industries and markets, passionate about people, purpose and responsible leadership.
Naresh brings a practitioner's perspective on building and leading organisations, navigating complex environments and creating lasting value for people, businesses and society.
Different journeys. A shared question.
What should today’s leaders leave behind for the generation that follows?
Our philosophy
01
Learn.
Understand the systems, assumptions and experiences that shaped today's leadership.
02
Challenge.
Question what no longer serves organisations, societies or the people within them.
03
Reinvent.
Explore leadership models built for greater trust, agency and shared responsibility.
We are not trying to create another definition of leadership.
We want to keep the question open.
At the heart of un.lead
We believe leadership should create more leaders, not more followers — and that a better future is possible when leadership is more widely shared.
Leadership is a collective responsibility, not just a title.
More diverse perspectives lead to better decisions.
Shared leadership can help build a more equitable world.
Different voices unlock new possibilities.
Transparency, autonomy and accountability strengthen trust.
Leadership that empowers others leaves a lasting legacy.
Leadership should create more leaders, not more followers.
Two generations. One conversation.
To the leaders of
Today
To the leaders of
Tomorrow
Different generations. A shared future.
The established leader
“It’s not just about what we achieve, but what we enable.”
Same world. Different vantage points.
One generation carries the experience of leading through change. The other carries the expectation that leadership must change. UN.LEAD exists to put those two truths in the same room.
The next generation
“We don’t just want a seat at the table. We want a different table.”
What happens when they meet
Hard-won judgement about what actually works.
New questions about what should change.
A common belief in fairness and trust.
Better decisions for people and planet.
When generations listen, leadership evolves.
Add your voice
UN.LEAD is being built in the open. Every response, conversation and nomination becomes part of the thinking we publish.
Share your perspective
A short set of questions for leaders of today and tomorrow. Your answers shape the research.
Go deeper
Join a recorded conversation, or invite us to bring the question into your organisation.
Know someone whose perspective belongs in this conversation?
Nominate a voice