For decades, the traditional command-and-control style of leadership delivered results. It worked in stable markets, clear hierarchies and predictable supply chains. Yet after 25 years of working with organisations across sectors, I have seen one trait cause more damage than any market shock: complacency.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it is a comforting mantra, but it is also the enemy of progress. Feminine-centred leadership starts from the opposite assumption: that progress depends on questioning old models and trying new approaches. We would never have developed Concorde, built a space industry or shrunk computers into smartphones if we had accepted the status quo. Today, that same restless curiosity needs to be applied not only to products and technology, but to people.

Why command-and-control leadership is failing UK firms

The 21st-century workplace is more complex than the one that produced the command-and-control model. Remote and hybrid working, artificial intelligence, environmental, social and governance expectations, and a sharper focus on mental health have all changed what employees expect from employers. Leaders who treat people as units of production, rather than as whole human beings, are finding it harder to recruit, motivate and retain talent.

UK business is at an inflection point. The final FTSE Women Leaders Review, published in January 2025 with data to 30 June 2024, found that women now hold 45% of board positions in FTSE 350 companies, up from 12.5% in 2011. Women’s representation on FTSE 350 executive committees has also risen to 36%. These figures show real progress, but they also reveal how recently masculine-coded leadership has dominated the boardroom. The gender pay gap, measured by the Office for National Statistics at 13.8% for all employees in April 2024, and the slow progress at senior executive levels, remind us that structural change is still unfinished.

When organisations cling to we’ve always done it this way, they take a bigger risk than they realise. Command-and-control leadership can look efficient while profits are healthy, but it rarely builds the trust and goodwill that sustain a business through downturns. When pressure hits, employees in fear-based cultures are less likely to go the extra mile; talent leaves, collaboration crumbles and a dog-eat-dog environment takes hold. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development consistently links poor management and toxic cultures to higher turnover, absenteeism and lower productivity. These are costs that UK employers can no longer afford.

What feminine-centred leadership actually means

By contrast, organisations that invest in coaching, empowering and inclusive leadership create cultures where people pull together when times are tough. Communication, psychological safety and shared purpose become assets that protect the bottom line as much as any balance-sheet entry.

This is where the idea of feminine-centred leadership becomes relevant. I am not talking about a gender split. Both men and women can draw on masculine and feminine energy. What matters is balance.

Masculine-coded energy, such as competition, decisiveness and control, has shaped the modern workplace. It is not inherently negative; businesses need drive and direction. But when it dominates, it can crowd out the feminine-coded qualities that are increasingly vital: empathy, collaboration, intuition, adaptability and long-term care for people and planet. Research consistently links inclusive leadership behaviours to better team performance, innovation and employee retention. Companies with greater gender diversity at executive level are also more likely to outperform their peers on profitability.

Feminine-centred leadership is not about being soft. It is about being strategic enough to recognise that relationships, trust and purpose are the foundations of sustainable performance. Leaders who listen, who share power and who create psychological safety are the ones whose teams experiment, learn and adapt fastest.

The UK evidence for inclusive leadership

The evidence is mirrored in entrepreneurship. The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship continues to highlight that women-led businesses are a major untapped source of UK economic growth. The Rose Review has highlighted that women remain only half as likely as men to start a business. Closing that gap could add an estimated £250 billion to the UK economy. That is not a women’s issue; it is a business-growth issue, and it points to the value of leadership styles that have historically been undervalued.

These patterns are not accidental. The gender pay gap reporting regime and the FTSE Women Leaders Review have forced larger firms to confront how power, pay and promotion are distributed. Smaller businesses can learn from the same principle: leadership culture shapes who stays, who progresses and who thrives.

How to put feminine-centred leadership into practice

Putting this into practice does not require a wholesale dismantling of hierarchy. It does require intentional changes in behaviour and process. Leaders can start by:

• Listening before deciding. Use team input to shape strategy rather than simply broadcasting directives. Hold structured listening sessions before major decisions and publish what you heard and how it influenced the outcome.
• Measuring success through wellbeing and retention. Track metrics such as employee turnover, absence rates and engagement scores alongside short-term profit. Poor management is widely recognised as one of the leading drivers of resignations in the UK.
• Building diverse leadership pipelines. Introduce sponsorship and mentoring programmes for women and under-represented groups. Set clear targets and review progress quarterly, not annually.
• Modelling vulnerability and accountability. Replace a culture of blame with one of learning. When leaders admit mistakes and explain what they will do differently, they give permission for others to do the same.
• Protecting psychological safety. Make it clear that dissent, questions and experiment are welcome. Teams that feel safe to challenge ideas make better decisions and spot risks earlier.

Conclusion: build a business that lasts

So, what kind of organisation do you want to lead or work in? One that is rigid, fear-based and stuck in the past, or one that is innovative, inclusive and built on collaborative, sustainable achievement?

The future of UK business depends on moving beyond blame and judgement and embracing balance. Leaders who develop self-awareness, celebrate diversity and design structures that reward empathy as well as ambition will attract and retain the best people. They will also be better placed to navigate disruption, whether from technology, regulation or economic uncertainty.

Feminine-centred leadership is not a trend. It is a practical response to the demands of the modern workplace. The shift is already under way. The question is whether your organisation will help shape it, or be left behind.