Q&A – Do New Employees Need Strong Leaders?
Doing Good Works FAQ Series
We get more and more questions from people who are moved by #DoingGoodWorks — questions about leadership, culture, and how to build a financially sustainable company. Not despite of, but thanks to doing good for customers, colleagues and society. So I decided to try something new: a series where I share these questions and my honest answers. No fluff. Just reflections from the field. Do you have a question of your own? Send it my way. Let’s keep the conversation going!
By Nick Van Langendonck, driving force Unbossers Network
Q: Hey Nick, in my mind, new employees need a strong leader who takes the lead, paves the way and shows them where hard work can lead. Is that in line with your views on this? Best regards! T.
Thanks so much T. for your question. Let’s explore what strong leadership truly means.
Firstly, you’re absolutely right: people long for direction, guidance, and a leader who leads by example. It’s a natural and very human need, especially for those just starting their journey in a new workplace.
In the Doing Good Works philosophy, we deeply believe in powerful leadership. But we might interpret “powerful” a bit differently than the conventional model. For us, powerful leadership begins with service, courage to self-sarcifice, and the creation of meaningful context.
A powerful leader, in my view, is someone who dares to be vulnerable—someone who isn’t afraid to say “I don’t know,” who owns up to mistakes, and who recognizes the need for others to realize a shared vision. In other words, it’s not so much someone who paves the way for others, but someone who paves the way together with them.
It’s also someone who not only shows where hard work can lead but—more importantly—whythat hard work matters. They give purpose. They offer direction. And they create space for others to take ownership, to fall down, to learn, and to rise stronger.
A company grows great when the leaders plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.
As long as the leader remains the “most important person in the room,” they unintentionally prevent others from stepping forward. The result? A company that stays dependent on that one person, instead of growing together. Leadership is not about you—it’s about others. A hard lesson I’ve had to relearn more than once, and one I’m still learning today.
That’s why I believe the essence of leadership lies in paradox: It’s about strength and vulnerability, about setting direction and listening, about being an example and inviting shared responsibility. All this, held together by compassion and forgiveness—knowing full well that you, too, are a work in progress.
The journey of a serving leader is never done. It’s a continuous balancing act between courage and humility, between leading and letting go. It’s a personal development path, but also a team journey—a quest for helping each other become better by doing good for each other.
We’d love to hear how this resonates with you and what it looks like in your own work environment. And of course, you’re warmly invited to send me your own question or join one of our Long Table Dinners, where we gather around meaningful conversations like this with peers from diverse backgrounds.
👉 Join us at our next dinner party
With gratitude.
Doing Good Works
Nick & Unbossers Network
