One of the biggest misconceptions you can have about yourself, lovely leader, is that you’re short of ideas. This is par for the course, unfortunately, and even the best leaders hit a plateau where progress stalls. However, rather than the idea well running dry, it’s much more likely that your leadership development framework needs a bit of simple recalibration.

To get to the crux of the issue, you need to understand the interlocking levers that shape how you lead, grow, and make an impact.

This article will explain all of the above and more, and help you figure out which of your levers are stuck and how to get everything moving freely again.

Without further ado, let’s talk levers.

The Five Levers of Leadership Growth

There are five levers at the heart of your leadership growth plan, and just like a Patek Philippe, they’re all interlocked and interdependent. This means that when one lever sticks or malfunctions, the whole system can grind to a halt, and you can’t figure out what time it is at all.

What are these five levers, we hear you ask? Let us tell you.

1. People development

With people development, we’re talking about the energy within your team, the trust you build with those around you, and the clarity you create around wider goals. It’s essentially how you motivate others and drive performance.

2. Company development

Moving further out, you have your company. This includes the systems, structure, and basically, the rhythm of everything in your organization. Developing this helps you build a business that can run without you, which is what every leader should strive for.

3. Self development

The big one. You. Specifically, the awareness, composure, and your leadership mindset. These are all biggies for decision-making, and when done right, everything falls into place.

4. Strategy development

Strategy development is all about your direction, your overarching priorities, and your level of focus. It’s basically where you decide what matters, and what doesn’t.

5. Leadership development

The great multiplier itself. This is where it all comes together and how you develop leaders around you, at every level.

This is a very brief overview of these very important levers, but you can find out more for yourself in our Little Green Book Series. Simply take our free Leadership Insights Scorecard and receive the Little Green Book that matches your lowest scoring area - on us. Don't say we don't give you anything.

Now, let’s talk about how this all feeds into leadership development frameworks.

How Levers Get Stuck and Leadership Development Frameworks Slow

Here are a few classic ways your levers can get stuck and throw your leadership development frameworks off track:

1. Obsessing over your people and neglecting your own self-development. This is a one-way ticket to burnout.
2. Doubling down on strategy but overlooking whether the company infrastructure can actually sustain it.
3. The most common pattern of all? Over-pulling one lever at the expense of the rest.

This often comes from pushing harder on what feels comfortable, be it performance reviews, strategic updates, or planning cycles, and mistaking misguided effort for progress.

Because, as we’ve mentioned many times, real leadership growth doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from diagnosing where your framework needs less friction, and where some levers are being neglected to the point of being absolutely knackered.

Leadership As a System, Not a Role

Operating from instinct sounds great, but it’s not how the best leaders approach things. Instead, they use systems to create rhythm and regularly reflect on how they can improve.

In our Little Green Book Series, we talk about seeing your company through three different lenses. The microscope is all about the details, the glasses is the day-to-day, and the binoculars are the future. Most people find themselves stuck because they only use one, and are blinded as a result.

Then, there’s the power of pausing and slowing down to go faster. This is often the best way to accelerate growth and recognize what’s been holding you back. The result is realizing that true progress comes when the people around you lead better, rather than just you.

The key to all of this is flexibility. It’s all about understanding that a strong leadership development framework flexes with you across challenges and transitions.

A Simple Diagnosis for Lack of Leadership Growth

So, how do you know where to focus your energy? Start by asking yourself some simple questions:

• Do my systems match what the company is trying to achieve?
• Am I building leaders or relying on myself?
• Do I run on habit or take time to reflect and renew?
• Is my team clear on what good looks like, and inspired to pursue it?

If any of the answers you find feel uncomfortable, dig deeper. You’ve just found your starting point.

Still struggling? This is why our Leadership Insight Scorecard exists at all. To help you spot patterns early, before friction becomes failure. It’s a fast, evidence-based leadership assessment that helps you turn self-awareness into practical steps so you don’t create avoidable bottlenecks.

Find Out More

Take our Leadership Insight Scorecard to identify where your systems are thriving or flagging. This will help you build a personal leadership growth plan around the five levers of sustainable leadership, all of which can be found in our Little Green Books. You should also check out our Stop Managing, Start Leading podcast on YouTube, which has countless insights into leadership at every level.