Why healthy scepticism and sense-making tools matter more than quick-fix models

In this Voices of Leadership conversation, Dave speaks with Stephen E. Morris, author of Leaders, Believers and Expert Deceivers, about the risks of relying on “one right way” models for leadership and organisational development. Drawing on his IT background and later research, Stephen shares how frameworks like Tuckman’s team stages, Lean-Agile methodology, and other popular models often get applied uncritically, and why leaders need to resist the temptation of finding easy answers.

Instead, he argues for curiosity, context awareness, and sense-making approaches which he brings alive through practical stories, Stephen shows how investing even a little time in understanding your environment can prevent wasted effort, unlock better decisions, and build healthier leadership cultures.

This is a conversation that challenges assumptions, encourages humility, and reminds us that leadership isn’t about following a script, it’s about learning to read the landscape.

Key Talking Points:

• Why popular leadership frameworks often lack the evidence we assume they have
• The danger of “one-size-fits-all” approaches to leadership and culture change
• How context (plural!) matters more than content, and why nuance is critical
• Stories of organisations struggling when servant leadership or agile were applied too rigidly
• Sense-making tools leaders can use, including Cynefin and Confluence
• The role of curiosity, diversity of perspective, and conversation in better decision-making
• Why good leadership is more about adaptability than certainty