---
id: "prereq-traditional-leadership"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["§ Summary", "¶1"]
tags: ["leadership-theory"]
related: ["concept-co-creation", "contrarian-visionary-obsolete"]
reason: "The text frames the new leadership model as a direct contrast to 'getting people to follow you to the future' and 'communicating a vision.'"
sources: ["tail2"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-tail2"
originDay: 2
articleStem: "hbr-tail-125-innovative-leader"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/05/what-makes-an-innovative-leader"
sourceTitle: "What Makes an Innovative Leader?"
---
# Understanding of Traditional Visionary Leadership

**Why this is a prerequisite:** The text frames the new leadership model as a *direct contrast* to "getting people to follow you to the future" and "communicating a vision."

To grasp the magnitude of the shift toward [[concept-co-creation|co-creation]], one must first understand the baseline model it replaces: the traditional, **heroic leadership** model, in which a single visionary dictates strategy and relies on charisma or authority to compel followership. This baseline is what [[contrarian-visionary-obsolete]] declares obsolete for innovation — and what [[counter-visionary-still-needed]] argues still has a legitimate role in setting strategic direction. Without the baseline, the contrast (and the stakes) are invisible.