What great leaders actually do is often very different from what leadership books, seminars, and corporate training programs suggest.
In my recent conversation with entrepreneur, investor, and author Dave Berkus, we explored the realities of leadership after decades spent building companies, coaching CEOs, investing in entrepreneurs, and serving on boards.
Dave has led businesses for more than 35 years, invested in over 200 entrepreneurs, and observed leadership success and failure across multiple industries and economic cycles. What stood out most throughout the conversation was how grounded and practical his perspective on leadership is.
There was very little discussion about charisma, vision statements, or inspirational slogans.
Instead, the conversation focused on behaviour.
Because in practice, what great leaders actually do comes down to the choices they make every day — especially when things become uncomfortable.
You can watch the full interview here:
Leadership Starts With Curiosity, Not Certainty
One of the first topics we explored was the danger of leaders believing they already have all the answers.
Dave explained that when he meets entrepreneurs as a potential investor, one of the first things he assesses is whether they are coachable. In his experience, leaders who think they know everything quickly become dangerous to their own organisations because they stop listening, stop learning, and stop adapting.
That idea resonated strongly with me because curiosity is one of the most underrated leadership capabilities.
Strong leaders ask questions. They stay open to perspectives that challenge their thinking. They create environments where people feel safe contributing ideas rather than simply agreeing with authority.
The leaders who struggle most are often the ones trying hardest to appear certain.
Ironically, the leaders who create the most trust are usually the ones comfortable admitting they do not know everything.
Culture Is Built Through What Leaders Tolerate
One of the most powerful moments in the interview came when Dave shared a story from early in his career.
A well-liked employee had been caught engaging in unethical behaviour. Dave made the decision to terminate him immediately, despite knowing the employee was popular with the broader team. What surprised him was the response afterward. Several employees approached him privately and said, “You did the right thing.”
That moment reinforced a leadership lesson he has carried ever since:
“Culture is what you tolerate when no one’s watching.”
It is a deceptively simple statement, but it cuts to the heart of organisational culture.
Many leaders unintentionally weaken culture because they avoid difficult conversations or tolerate behaviours they know are problematic. Over time, employees notice the inconsistency. Trust erodes quietly, and standards begin to slip.
Culture is not shaped primarily by posters, values statements, or leadership speeches.
It is shaped by behaviour.
Employees pay close attention to what leaders reward, what they ignore, and what they are willing to walk past without addressing.
That is why leadership under pressure matters so much. When things become difficult, people stop listening to what leaders say and start watching what they do.
The Difference Between Empowerment and Control
Another fascinating part of the discussion centred on empowerment.
Many leaders genuinely believe they are empowering their teams because they delegate tasks or encourage autonomy. Yet without realising it, they often undermine that empowerment through micromanagement, unnecessary oversight, or subtle signals of disapproval.
Dave spoke about leaders who accidentally “cut people off at the knees” by constantly stepping into decisions that should belong to others.
One of the simplest but most effective leadership principles he shared was this:
Tell people what to do and why to do it — but not how.
That distinction matters enormously.
When leaders dictate every detail of how work should be completed, people stop thinking independently. Innovation slows down, accountability weakens, and confidence declines.
By contrast, when people understand the purpose behind their work and are trusted to figure out the path forward, they tend to become more engaged, capable, and invested.
The conversation reminded me how often leadership problems are actually control problems disguised as support.
Why Most Leadership Training Fails
One of the strongest themes throughout the interview was Dave’s belief that most leadership training fails to create meaningful behavioural change.
It is a perspective I largely agree with.
Many organisations invest heavily in leadership development programs that generate enthusiasm in the moment but very little long-term transformation. People return from workshops inspired and motivated, but under pressure they quickly revert to familiar habits.
Dave’s point was that leadership is not fundamentally about knowledge.
It is about behaviour.
And behaviour only changes through repetition, reinforcement, accountability, and real-world practice.
He described the importance of leaders spending regular one-on-one time with direct reports, focusing on one specific behavioural improvement at a time rather than overwhelming people with complex frameworks or endless competency models.
That simplicity is important.
In reality, what great leaders actually do is often repetitive and consistent rather than dramatic or complicated.
The best leaders are rarely performing leadership.
They are practising it.
Leadership Under Pressure Reveals Everything
The conversation also explored how leadership changes during periods of uncertainty or crisis.
It is relatively easy to appear calm and empowering when business is growing and conditions are stable. Leadership becomes much more difficult when organisations face financial pressure, disruption, conflict, or rapid change.
Dave spoke about the importance of style flexibility — the ability to adapt leadership behaviour to the situation rather than relying on a single default approach.
There are moments when decisive leadership is necessary. There are also moments when stepping back and allowing others to lead is far more effective.
Problems emerge when leaders become trapped in one style regardless of context.
This feels particularly relevant right now given the pace of technological and organisational change many workplaces are navigating.
AI, Adaptability, and the Future of Work
Toward the end of the interview, we shifted into a discussion about AI and the future of work.
Dave drew an interesting parallel between AI and previous technological revolutions. Every major shift in technology has generated fear about job loss and disruption. Yet over time, new industries, new roles, and new opportunities tend to emerge.
The bigger risk, in his view, is not technology itself.
It is leaders failing to adapt quickly enough.
He referred to this as the “buggy whip trap” — organisations clinging to outdated business models long after the world around them has changed.
It was a timely reminder that leadership is not simply about protecting what already exists.
It is about recognising when the environment has shifted and having the courage to evolve before circumstances force the issue.
The Simplest Leadership Advice Is Often the Best
As we wrapped up the interview, I asked Dave what single behaviour leaders could change that would have the biggest impact.
His response captured the entire conversation perfectly:
“Empower, remove obstacles, and get out of the way.”
Simple.
But not easy.
Because what great leaders actually do is rarely about ego, control, or appearing impressive. It is about creating the conditions for other people to succeed.
That requires trust, humility, adaptability, and the willingness to keep learning long after reaching senior leadership positions.
And perhaps that is the real leadership lesson underneath everything we discussed:
The strongest leaders never stop being students themselves.
Watch the Full Interview
📘 The Leader’s Toolkit by Dave Berkus
About Ros Cardinal
Ros Cardinal is an organisational development consultant, executive coach, and creator of the Women’s Leader Archetypes and Political Intelligence Compass frameworks. Through leadership consulting, coaching, speaking, and The Archetype Effect podcast, she helps leaders navigate influence, culture, power, and human behaviour in complex workplaces.
Book a chat with Ros.
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